tibvavy  oftht  theological  ^eminar^ 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


^ •a^^i). 

BX  9426  .B87  R4 

Burrell,  David  James,  lb44- 

1926.  ^  ^ 

The  religion  of  the  future 


^' 


THE 


X  MAY  18  1955 


Religion  of  the  Future 


BY 


REV.  DAVID   JAMES    BURRELL,  D.  D. 


THE  COLLEGIATE  CHURCH, 

FIFTH   AVENUE  AND    29TH    STREET, 
NEW   YORK. 


^.0.,    iq^-7 


CONTENTS. 


♦■ 

The  Religion  of  the  Future _ page      7 

A  Wonderful  Prayer 13 

Sanballat  and  Tobiah ;   How  They  Hindered  the  Builders 21 

The  Death  Warrant  of  the  Huguenots— 29 

The  Lepers  of  Samaria 39 

No  Excuse  for  Unbelief 47 

The  Church  and  the  Saloon 56 

Hobab  of  Akaba ;  or,  Why  Should  I  be  a  Member  of  the  Church  ?    66 

The  Glory  of  this  Mystery 74 

The  Career  of  a  Fast  Young  Man 81 

At  the  Horns  of  the  Altar _ ___ 89 

"  We  Three  Kings  of  Orient  Are:"  A  Christmas  Meditation.—    97 

Sandals  for  the  Journey:  A  New  Year's  Meditation 104 

The  Duty  of  Fault-Finding 112 

The  Branded  Conscience ___  120 

The  Holy  Ghost 128 

Walking  with  God 137 

The  Army  of  the  Poor 145 

Nathan  Hale 154 

St.  Joan  of  Arc 161 


4  CONTENTS. 

The  Appeal  to  Caesar 170 

The  Crown  of  Thorns 180 

Good  Out  of  Nazareth 190 

The  Resurrection  Here  and  Now .1 199 

Simon  of  Cyrene 208 

Assurance 216 

Woe  to  Ariel 224 

A  Text  of  Wonders-- _ _ _ .__  232 

Why  Should  I  Pray? _ 239 

How  Shall  I  Pray? _._  247 

The  American  Sabbath 255 

The  Barren  Fig-Tree - 265 

A  Profitable  Life -- 274 

Who  is  This  That  Cometh  from  Edom? 282 

Jonah  at  Nineveh 289 

The  Ninevites  in  Judgment - 297 


THE 

RELIGION  OF  THE  FUTURE. 


"  The  old  is  better."     Luke  5:39. 

We  are  immensely  fond  of  saying  that  this  is  a  pro- 
gressive age.  It  is  true  beyond  all  question.  Fashions 
change  over  night.  It  is  a  great  way  from  Watt's  teakettle 
to  the  Baldwin  locomotive,  a  great  way  from  Franklin's 
kite  to  Edison's  dynamos.  Old  things  have  passed  away, 
all  things  have  become  new.  The  flint-lock  musket,  the 
spinning-wheel  and  the  stage-coach  are  put  away  among 
the  relics.  We  have  new  ways  of  doing  things,  new 
ways  of  thinking,  new  laws,  new  moral  conceptions,  new 
sciences  and  philosophies.  Why  should  we  not  also 
have  a  new  religion?  There  have  been  thousands  of 
years  of  theological  research  and  controversy  since  the 
old  Bible  was  sealed  with  a  fiyiis.  Must  these  go  for 
nothing?  Are  we  no  wiser  than  our  fathers  respecting 
the  great  verities  ?  Is  it  not  high  time  that  our  religion 
should  be  brought  up  abreast  of  the  Zeitgeist?  "  When  I 
was  a  child  I  thought  as  a  child,  spake  as  a  child,  under- 
stood as  a  child ;  but  when  I  became  a  man  I  put  away 
childish  things."  The  world  has  reached  maturity.  Ring 
out  the  old  !     Ring  in  the  new  ! 

But  let  us  be  sure  we  are  right.  Religion  is  a  matter 
of  so  great  importance  that  we  can  afford  to  be  deliberate 
about  it.  When  William  of  Orange  was  crossing  the 
Channel   to  assume  the  English  crown  he  was   greatly 


6  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

weighed  down  by  a  sense  of  responsibility.  It  was  a 
foggy  night,  and  as  he  paced  the  deck  he  heard  the  cap- 
tain calHng  ever  and  anon  to  the  man  at  the  wheel, 
"Steady!  steady!"  That  was  his  watchword  in  after 
years.  It  is  a  good  watchword  for  all  who  sail  along  the 
troubled  seas  of  controversy  in  quest  of  truth.  In  a  case 
whose  issues  reach  out  into  eternity  it  is  the  manifest  part 
of  wisdom  to  make  haste  slowly.  There  are  some  things 
whose  fashion  never  changes,  such  as  air  and  water  and 
sunshine.  May  not  religion  be  of  this  sort  ?  At  any  rate 
it  behooves  us,  in  this  matter,  to  **  prove  all  things,  and 
hold  fast  that  which  is  good." 

In  any  religion  whatsoever  there  must  be  three  pri- 
mary conceptions ;  to  wit,  God,  man,  and  the  relation 
between  them.  The  word  religion  is  from  the  Latin  re- 
ligare,  meaning  to  bind  back.  Religion  is  that  which 
restores  the  interrupted  relations  of  the  heavenly  Father 
with  his  children.  In  the  Religion  of  the  Future — which 
the  advanced  thinkers  of  our  time  have  projected  for  us — 
we  have  a  new  conception  as  to  each  of  these  fundamental 
facts. 

I.  As  to  God.  There  is  no  danger  of  atheism.  A 
hundred  years  ago  a  frenzy  of  that  sort  took  possession 
of  the  people.  In  the  Corps  Legislatif  of  France  it  was 
solemnly  resolved  that  God  should  be  no  more  recognized 
in  the  affairs  of  the  nation.  His  name  was  studiously  pro- 
faned and  his  laws  were  violently  trodden  under  foot.  Then 
began  the  Reign  of  Terror.  Mobs  marched  through  the 
streets  minghng  blasphemies  with  their  demands  for  bread 
and  freedom.  The  heads  of  the  nobility  fell  under  the 
guillotine.  The  gutters  of  Paris  ran  with  blood.  Mean- 
while the  legend,  "  Liberty,  Equality,  Fraternity,"  stared 
in  grim  satire  from  the  dead  walls.     Napoleon  said  to  La 


THE    RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE.  J 

Place,  "  I  see  no  mention  of  God  in  your  system  of  the- 
ology." "  No,  sire,"  was  the  answer,  "  we  have  no  lon- 
ger any  need  of  that  hypothesis."  A  half-century  of 
anarchy  and  social  disorder  was  the  sequel.  Montesquieu 
said,  "  God  is  as  necessary  as  freedom  to  the  welfare  of 
France."  One  such  experiment  is  enough.  There  will 
never  be  another  serious  attempt  to  dispense  with  God. 

But  the  drift  of  advanced  thought  in  our  time  is 
towards  an  utter  enfeeblement  of  God.  He  is  represent- 
ed as  law,  all-pervading  force,  universal  soul,  a  "some- 
thing not  ourselves  that  maketh  for  righteousness."  Lib- 
eral thinkers  would  depersonalize  him,  devitalize  him. 
They  would  leave  us  a  God  without  eyes  to  see,  a  heart 
to  pity,  or  hands  to  help — the  mere  ghost  of  a  God. 

1.  There  is  no  room  here  for  Providence.  It  was 
Herder's  beautiful  thought  that  there  are  three  emana- 
tions from  Deity,  namely,  licht,  leben,  Hebe :  that  his  light 
is  manifest  in  the  glory  of  nature,  his  life  in  organism  and 
growth,  and  his  love  in  the  human  soul.  In  the  new  the- 
ology there  might  be  a  lingering  of  divine  light,  some- 
what of  life  also ;  but  not  by  the  wildest  stretch  of  the 
imagination  could  an  impersonal  God  be  conceived  as 
loving  us.     "  He  doth  not  see  nor  consider." 

2.  Nor  is  there  room  for  prayer.  To  what  should 
one  pray  ?  To  force  ?  To  star  dust  or  bathybios  ?  Shall 
the  weary  and  troubled  address  their  misereres  to  the 
wild  wind  or  to  the  primordial  germ  ?  Jean  Paul — in 
those  dark  days  when  France  swung  loose  from  all  her 
moorings — came  with  his  burden  to  the  Venus  of  Milo  in 
the  Louvre.  He  clasped  her  feet  and  prayed ;  he  lifted 
his  eyes,  and  lo,  she  had  no  arms  to  help  !  The  only 
answer  to  the  prayer  of  one  who  rejects  the  great  Father 
is  silence.     There  is  no  voice  nor  answer. 


8  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

"And  still  the  red  sands  fall  within  the  glass, 
And  still  the  shadows  round  the  dial  sweep, 
And  still  the  water-clock  doth  drip  and  weep ; 
And  that  is  all." 

II,  As  to  Man.  We  have  been  accustomed  to  regard 
man  as  the  masterpiece  of  God's  creation.  He  formed 
him,  and  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  an  immor- 
tal life.  Man  is  thus  the  child  of  God  ;  impressed  with  his 
image,  able  to  confer  with  him  respecting  eternal  things  ; 
"  having,"  as  Carlyle  says,  "the  geometry  of  heaven  in  his 
brain."  But  we  are  now  asked  to  believe  that  man  is  the 
creature  of  circumstance,  the  product  of  certain  condi- 
tions, such  as  air,  food,  nursing,  medicines  and  education. 
He  is  a  development  from  the  lower  orders — in  accord- 
ance with  the  inviolate  laws  of  heredity,  natural  selection 
and  survival  of  the  fittest.     What  then  ? 

1.  Then,  of  course,  there  can  be  no  moral  responsi- 
bility. For  how  can  a  creature  of  circumstance  be  re- 
sponsible to  an  impersonal  God  ?  Sin  is  simply  a  disease 
of  the  nerve  tissue.  Medication  must  therefore  supplant 
punishment.  The  ruffian  who  plunders  your  house  or 
aims  his  dagger  at  your  heart  is  no  more  to  blame  than 
your  infant  for  falling  out  of  its  cradle.  Men  are  what 
their  environment  makes  them.  A  snail  crawls  into  the 
road  ;  and  the  sun  shrivels  it  or  the  wheels  of  the  king's 
chariot  crush  it.     So  is  a  man  in  the  grip  of  destiny. 

2.  And  there  can  be  no  immortality.  For  what  is 
there  to  be  immortal?  The  brain  is  phosphorus. 
Thought  is  the  result  of  atomic  friction.  The  soul  is 
practically  as  material  as  the  body ;  and  death  gives  the 
coup  de grace  to  the  whole  man.  The  hope  of  life  beyond 
the  grave  is  an  illusion.  "  Death  ends  all !"  Go  write  it 
on  the  tombstones  of  those  whom  you  have  hoped  to  see 


THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE.  9 

again  in  a  better  world ;  go  write  it  across  the  family- 
register  in  "  the  old  ha'  Bible  " — the  awful  sentence  that,  in 
the  Reign  of  Terror,  was  written  across  the  archway  of 
Pere  la  Chaise:  Death  Ends  AIL  And  then  return  to 
your  homes  resolved  to  fill  life  full  of  careless  mirth. 
Let  us  eat  and  drink  and  be  merry :  to-morrow  we  die  ! 

3.  No  basis  of  character  is  left.  For  character  stands 
on  these  two  pillars,  Responsibility  and  Immortality. 
Drag  them  down  and  the  whole  fabric  falls  asunder.  We 
can  understand  now  what  Benjamin  Franklin  meant  when, 
reading  the  proof-sheets  of  "  The  Age  of  Reason,"  he  said 
to  its  author,  Thomas  Paine,  "  Oh,  friend  Thomas,  burn  the 
book  !  Do  not  unchain  that  tiger.  If  the  American  peo- 
ple are  what  they  are  under  the  beneficent  influence  of 
religion,  what  would  they  be  without  it  ?" 

III.  As  to  the  relation  of  man  with  God.  We  have 
been  taught  to  believe  that  the  filial  harmony  was  dis- 
turbed ;  that  sin  had  opened  a  vast  chasm  between 
an  outraged  God  and  his  rebellious  children — a  chasm 
bridged  by  the  cross,  by  which  we  who  were  afar  off  are 
brought  nigh  again  and  permitted  to  enter  into  spiritual 
and  eternal  life.  This  is  the  **  traditional  "  view.  But  it 
is  ruled  out  of  the  new  religion.  The  advanced  views  of 
our  liberal  theologians  leave  no  place  for  it. 

I.  The  "old,  old  story  " — so  far  as  any  real  or  exclu- 
sive power  to  save  is  concerned — must  go.  Our  fathers 
made  much  of  the  blood :  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  us  from  all  sin  ;"  and  "  Without  the  shedding  of 
blood  there  is  no  remission  of  sin."  But  there  is  no  blood 
in  the  new  religion.  Such  terms  as  satisfaction  and  ran- 
som and  reconciliation  are  quite  obsolete.  The  repellent 
aspects  of  "  the  butcher  theory  "  of  the  atonement  are  all 
dispensed  with,  and  the  offence  of  the  cross  gives  way  to 


lO  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE.       ' 

the  sweetness  and  light  of  le  bo7i  Dieu  and  the  beauty  of 
ethical  culture. 

2.  Nor  can  creeds  be  tolerated.  Dogmatism  is  abhor- 
rent to  liberal  minds.  Credo  is  a  worn  out  shibboleth.  We 
used  to  think  that  a  man  was  scarcely  a  vertebrate  unless 
he  could  lay  his  hand  on  something  and  say,  '*  I  believe 
this,"  There  were  those  who  took  pleasure  in  the  historic 
creeds  of  Christendom.  We  were  wont  to  comfort  our- 
selves in  such  assurances  as  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 
liveth,"  and  "  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  that  he 
is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him 
until  that  day."  In  fact,  however,  we  know  nothing,  we 
can  believe  nothing.  "  For  modes  of  faith  let  graceless 
zealots  fight."  We  may  surmise,  hope,  venture  an  opin- 
ion ;  but  as  to  believing  or  dogmatizing,  the  time  for  that 
has  gone  by.  "  I  know  nothing,"  as  Fichte  says ;  *'  not  even 
that  I  know  nothing."  All  assertions  must  be  made  with 
a  qualifying  "Perhaps"  or  "It  may  be."  This  is  lib- 
eralism.    Anything  else  is  bigotry. 

3.  And  the  Bible  must  go.  We  are  given  to  under- 
stand that  it  is  already  on  the  way.  Is  not  the  Mosaic 
cosmogony  disproven  ?  And  the  narratives  of  the  Flood, 
the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  Jonah  and  the 
Ninevites,  Job,  Daniel  in  Babylon,  are  they  not  shown  by 
our  Biblical  experts  to  be  mere  fables,  Jesus  to  the  con- 
trary notwithstanding?  The  historical  portions  of  the 
Old  Testament  are,  upon  the  same  authority,  as  untrust- 
worthy as  Diedrich  Knickerbocker.  And  the  prophecies 
are  no  better ;  "  the  great  body  of  Messianic  prophecy  " 
being  unfulfilled,  and  impossible  of  fulfilment  "  because  its 
time  has  passed  by."  Thus  the  Book  must  be  put  away 
among  the  other  musty  parchments  ot  the  olden  time. 
Farewell,  old  Book !     Thou  hast  been  a  beacon  to  men 


THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE.  II 

and  nations  through  all  the  centuries.  In  thy  clear  light 
the  world  has  grown  purer  and  holier.  Under  thy  gra- 
cious influence  truth  and  justice  and  benevolence  have 
gladdened  the  desert  wastes.  But  thou  hast  been  a  fetish 
long  enough.     Farewell !     The  world  has  oudived  thee. 

But  how  dark  it  is  !  The  sun  is  gone,  the  moon  ex- 
tinguished, the  stars  out.  The  world  is  left  to  grope  be- 
wildered in  unbroken  gloom.  All  hope  and  gladness 
have  vanished.  The  voices  of  God  himself,  which  we 
have  been  wont  to  hear  in  nature  and  providence,  in 
heaven  above  and  earth  beneath,  are  hushed.  We  have 
come  to  the  silence  and  solitude  of  an  Egyptian  night. 

But,  beloved,  this  shall  never  be  !  By  God's  grace 
this  shall  never  be!  The  hands  upon  the  dial  move 
forward  from  the  morning  of  creation  to  the  millennial 
noon.  God  lives  and  reigns  and  keeps  watch  above  his 
own ! 

The  religion  of  the  Scriptures  was  adjusted  in  the 
beginning  to  all  possible  mutations  of  time.  Nothing  has 
occurred  which  its  divine  Author  did  not  anticipate. 
The  Spirit  of  God  is  the  spirit  in  the  wheels  of  progress. 
When  Cardinal  Richelieu  was  superintending  the  re- 
moval of  his  ancestral  chateau,  preparatory  to  the  building 
of  a  magnificent  palace,  he  bade  the  workmen  spare  the 
inner  chamber  of  the  house.  It  was  there  his  eyes  had 
first  opened  to  the  light ;  there  his  mother  had  lulled  him 
to  sleep  upon  her  breast.  He  could  not  see  it  destroyed, 
but  required  his  architect  to  conform  the  plans  of  his 
palace  to  that  sacred  room.  Thus  the  great  temple  oi 
progress,  rising  splendidly  about  us,  has  the  birth-cham- 
ber at  its  centre.  There  shines  the  benignant  glory  of  the 
cross.  Around  that  inner  sanctuary,  with  its  Ark  of  the 
Covenant,  the  glorious  fabric  rises.    The  old  truths  stand  : 


12  THE   RELIGION    OF  THE   FUTURE. 

God  himself  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever. 
All  abiding  things  have  their  centre  in  him. 

It  is  related  of  Lord  Chesterfield  that,  while  visiting 
Paris,  he  was  entertained  at  the  table  of  a  distinguished 
lady  of  the  Encyclopedia,  a  bitter  foe  of  Christianity. 
She  said  to  him,  "  My  lord,  I  am  informed  that  your 
English  Parliament  is  composed  of  five  or  six  hundred  of 
the  most  profound  and  brilliant  thinkers  :  this  being  so, 
will  you  explain  to  me  how  you  account  for  the  fact  that, 
under  their  authority,  the  obsolete  religion  of  the  Naza- 
rene  Carpenter  is  still  maintained  as  the  religion  of  the 
realm ?"  "  Madam,"  he  replied,  "it  is  a  mere  temporary 
makeshift.  We  are  casting  about  for  something  better  ; 
when  that  is  discovered  Christianity  must  give  way." 

Ah,  the  world  has  been  casting  about  during  all  these 
centuries  for  something  better  and  has  not  found  it.  Un- 
devout  thinkers  will  continue  to  search  for  the  better  re- 
ligion by  the  light  of  the  midnight  oil ;  kings  and  poten- 
tates may  search  for  it,  as  they  have  often  done,  by  the 
light  of  Smithfield  fires  and  autos-da-fe.  And  meanwhile 
men  and  women  will  go  on  loving  and  believing  in  Jesus  : 
troubled  souls  will  run  to  him  for  succor  and  deliverance  ; 
sinners  will  search  the  old  Bible  for  the  hope  of  deliver- 
ance and  find  it  at  the  cross ;  and  the  kings  of  the  earth 
will  bring  their  glory  and  honor  unto  him.  The  song 
of  the  redeemed  below  will  swell  louder  and  louder,  and 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea.  And  then  it  will  be  known  that  the  Re- 
ligion of  the  Future  is  none  other  than  the  blessed  old 
religion  of  Bethlehem  and  Calvary,  of  the  open  sepul- 
chre and  the  endless  life. 


A  WONDERFUL  PRAYER.  13 

A  WONDERFUL  PRAYER. 


"  For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  of  whom  the  whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named, 
that  he  would  grant  you,  according  to  the  riches  of  his  glory, 
to  be  strengthened  with  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the  inner  man ; 
that  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith ;  that  ye,  being 
rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with 
all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height ;  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge, 
that  ye  might  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God."  Ephesians 
3:14-19. 

A  MAN  of  prayer  is  a  man  of  power.  To  bow  before 
God  is  like  bending  to  drink  from  a  flowing  brook.  It 
renews  our  strength.  It  puts  omnipotence  at  our  com- 
mand. 

"  A  good  man's  prayers 

Will  from  the  deepest  dungeon  climb  to  heaven's  height 

And  bring  a  blessing  down." 

It  is  prayer  that  "makes  the  world  go  round."  An 
ocean  steamer  holds  its  way  calmly  and  steadily  towards 
its  desired  haven  because  down  in  the  engine-room  the 
stokers  are  at  work,  grimy  and  stripped  to  the  waist, 
feeding  the  furnaces.  Who  knows  what  would  happen 
to  this  old  world  of  ours  were  it  not  for  the  multitude  of 
earnest  people  who,  in  the  secret  place,  are  earnestly 
pleading  for  its  welfare  ! 

The  man  of  our  text  was  a  prisoner.  He  had  been 
sent  to  the  Praetorian  camp  in  chains  for  preaching  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  His  enemies  thought  to  end  his  in- 
fluence  in   that    way.      Ah,  love  laughs  at  locksmiths ! 


14  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

There's  no  cutting  the  sinews  of  a  devout  man.  You 
may  put  the  cabaHstic  "  H.  R."  after  his  name  in  the 
roster,  but  it 's  another  matter  to  "  honorably  retire  "  him. 
If  you  lay  him  on  a  sick  bed,  his  patience  will  be  as  elo- 
quent as  Chrysostom.  Banish  him  to  a  desert  island,  he 
will  plant  aromatic  herbs  there  whose  fragrance  will  be 
wafted  far  and  wide.  Kill  him,  bury  him,  roll  a  stone 
against  his  sepulchre,  and  his  memory,  like  the  ghost  of 
John  the  Baptist,  will  walk  up  and  down  with  messages 
of  truth. 

So  this  apostle,  with  a  chain  on  either  arm,  was  still 
by  virtue  of  his  prayers,  a  mighty  power  for  good.  His 
devout  heart  was  like  a  galvanic  battery ;  it  enabled  him, 
despite  all  hindrances,  to  commune  with  distant  friends 
and  influence  their  destinies.  He  is  praying,  here,  for  his 
former  parishioners  at  Ephesus.  It  is  a  wonderful  prayer. 
Its  earnest  words  come  tumbhng  over  each  other,  like 
heralds  hastening  from  battle  to  carry  news  of  victory. 

The  one  thing  desired  is  strength  :  "  I  pray  that  ye 
may  be  strengthened  with  might  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  inner  man."  In  Paul's  opinion  a  Christian  had  no 
right  to  be  weak.  To  Timothy,  his  spiritual  son,  he  wrote, 
"  Thou  therefore,  my  son,  be  strong  in  the  grace  that  is 
in  Christ  Jesus."  To  the  Colossians,  "We  desire  that  ye 
might  be  strengthened  with  all  might  according  to  his 
glorious  power  unto  all  patience,  and  long-suffering,  and 
joyfulness."  To  the  Corinthians,  "  Watch  ye,  stand  fast 
in  the  faith,  quit  you  like  men,  be  strong."  And  again 
to  the  Ephesians,  "  Finally,  my  brethren,  be  strong  in  the 
Lord  and  in  the  power  of  his  might."  To  be  strong  is  a 
duty;  therefore  to  be  weak  is  a  sin.  "Why  art  thou 
lean,  being  the  king's  son  ?" 

The  strength  here  prayed  for   is  spiritual   strength  ; 


A   WONDERFUL   PRAYER.  I  5 

Strength  "  in  the  inner  man."  Paul  makes  much  of  this 
inner  man.  "Though  our  outward  man  perish,  yet  the 
inward  man  is  renewed  day  by  day."  The  outward  man 
is  but  the  frail  tabernacle  of  the  inward  man  ;  death,  like 
a  simoom,  rends  the  tent  to  tatters,  but  the  man  himself, 
the  real  man,  lives  on.  They  say  that  Bismarck  has  been 
smitten  with  paralysis ;  that  he  goes  about  with  faltering 
steps,  his  right  arm  danghng  at  his  side :  but  whisper  to 
him  "  Sedan  !"  or  "  Alsace-Lorraine !"  and  see  his  form 
straighten  and  his  eye  flash.  His  age  falls  from  him  Hke 
a  garment.  The  eye  of  "  the  inner  man  "  is  still  bright, 
and  his  natural  force  unabated.  And  this  is  the  divine, 
the  immortal  man. 

The  day  came  when  Paul  was  led  out  along  the  road 
towards  Ostia  to  his  execution.  There  were  priests  and 
beggars  and  Arab  merchants  and  sailors  and  camel- 
drivers  who  turned  to  look.  What  they  saw  was  an 
armed  guard  with  a  Jewish  culprit  in  chains ;  a  man  of 
"mean  presence  "  outwardly,  but  destined  to  walk  through 
history  like  a  giant.  The  place  was  reached  ;  there  was 
the  flash  of  a  heavy  sword ;  a  head  fell  from  the  block ; 
"  There 's  an  end  of  this  zealot,"  said  the  executioner  to 
his  men.  Little  they  knew !  The  real  Paul  cannot  be 
slain.  He  is  destined  to  be  heard  from.  The  "  inner 
m.an  "  will  walk  up  and  down  in  Church  councils,  a  partici- 
pant in  all  great  theological  controversies,  until  the  end  of 
time.     His  death  is  but  the  widening  of  his  parish. 

"  Out  of  sight  sinks  the  stone 
In  the  deep  sea  of  time,  but  the  circles  sweep  on  !" 

It  is  this  inner  man,  therefore,  which  should  engross 
our  care.  "  Why  take  ye  thought,  saying,  What  shall  we 
eat,  or,  What  shall  we  drink,  or,  Wherewithal  shall  we  be 


l6  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

clothed  ?"  To  expend  our  solicitude  upon  our  physical 
wants  is  as  foolish  as  it  was  for  Nero  to  busy  himself  in 
drawing  sand  for  the  arena  while  his  kingdom  was  falling 
asunder.  All  flesh  is  as  grass,  and  all  the  glory  of  the 
outward  man  as  the  flower  of  grass.  Character  is  the 
abiding  thing.  "  I  marvel,  O  Athenians,"  said  Socrates 
in  the  market-place,  "  that  ye  pamper  and  adorn  your 
bodies,  while  the  immortal  part  of  you  starves  and  shiv- 
ers !" 

This  prayer  of  Paul  for  the  strengthening  of  the  inner 
man  is  followed  by  three  specific  desires,  each  involving  a 
great  mystery.  To  partake  of  these  mysteries  is  to  pos- 
sess one's  self  of  wisdom  and  power ;  to  enter  cordially 
into  them  is  to  grow  unto  the  full  stature  of  manhood  in 
Christ. 

First  mystery :  the  indwelling  of  Christ.  "  That 
Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith."  This  is  dis- 
tinctly a  Christian  tenet.  Who  ever  heard  of  the  indwell- 
ing Buddha  or  of  the  indwelhng  Mohammed  ?  Our  Lord 
frequently  dwelt  upon  this  precious  truth.  As  in  the  par- 
able of  the  Vine  and  its  Branches:  "He  that  abideth  in 
.me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit ;  for 
without  me  ye  can  do  nothing."  As  when  he  said  to 
Jude :  "  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words :  and  my 
Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and 
make  our  abode  with  him."  As  in  his  sacerdotal  prayer 
for  his  disciples :  "  I  in  them  and  thou  in  me,  that  they 
may  be  made  perfect  in  one;  that  the  love  wherewith 
thou  hast  loved  me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them."  And 
as  in  the  blessed  promise :  "  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock  ;  if  any  man  will  hear  my  voice  and  open  the 
door,  I  will  come  in  to  him  and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he 
with  me." 


A   WONDERFUL   PRAYER.  1 7 

The  clew  to  this  mystery  is  faith :  "  that  Christ  may 
dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faiths  Faith  is  the  handout- 
stretched  to  draw  the  bolt,  to  lift  the  latch,  to  open  the 
door  and  let  Christ  in.  To  thus  welcome  Christ  is  to 
make  certain  our  growth  in  spiritual  life.  To  appro- 
priate him  is  to  partake  of  his  omnipotence.  To  be- 
lieve is  to  be  strong :  "  according  to  your  faith  be  it  unto 
you." 

It  is  related  by  Mr.  Moody  that,  after  having  his 
name  on  the  church  roster  for  more  than  twenty  years,  he 
became  convinced  that  there  was  something  beyond,  a 
glorious  measure  of  abiHty  and  usefulness  to  which  he 
had  not  attained ;  and  for  this  he  began  to  pray.  One 
night,  immediately  following  the  Chicago  fire,  he  walked 
the  streets  pleading  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
power.  At  a  late  hour  he  retired  to  his  room  and  fell 
upon  his  knees  resolved  that  there  should  be  no  more 
reservation;  that  the  last  bolt  should  be  drawn  and 
the  door  thrown  wide  to  the  waiting  Christ.  Then  the 
blessing  came — came  so  plentifully  that  he  found  himself 
walking  up  and  down  his  room  crying,  "  O  Lord,  stay 
now  thy  hand!  No  more,  no  more!"  And  since  that 
night  the  constant  blessing  of  heaven  has  been  upon  his 
work ;  insomuch  that,  as  he  humbly  testifies,  no  service  in 
all  these  years  has  passed  without  its  garnering  of  fruits. 
And  is  not  this  possible,  under  like  conditions,  to  every 
follower  of  Christ  ?  Oh  for  willingness  to  be  strong :  to 
bid  the  Saviour  enter  and  wholly  possess  us  ! 

Second  ynystery :  the  knowledge  of  the  love  of  Christ. 
"  That  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be 
able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth, 
and  length,  and  depth,  and  height ;  and  to  know  the  love 
of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge." 


I8  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

The  greatest  thing  in  the  universe  is  God's  love  in 
Jesus  Christ.  Who  shall  measure  it?  "  There  's  a  wide- 
ness  in  God's  mercy  like  the  wideness  of  the  sea."  It 
would  appear  that  Paul  is  here  making,  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Ephesian  Christians,  a  comparison  of  this  love  with 
the  dimensions  of  their  own  temple  of  Diana.  That  mag- 
nificent fabric  was  four  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long  and 
above  two  hundred  wide,  its  arches  resting  upon  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-seven  monoliths  each  sixty  feet  in  height. 
It  was  a  proverb,  "  The  sun  in  its  journey  sees  nothing 
more  glorious  than  the  Ephesian  temple."  Yet  it  fur- 
nished but  a  mean  figure  for  this  comparison.  To  what 
shall  God's  love  be  likened  ?  Its  length  is  through  all 
ages  ;  its  breadth  is  the  latitude  of  the  universe ;  its  pro- 
fundity is  unfathomable,  and  its  dome  is  glorious  with 
celestial  light.  The  smallest  word  in  that  great  sentence, 
"  God  so  loved  the  world,"  is  larger  than  all  human  phi- 
losophy. And  yet  this  mighty  truth  may  be  grasped ; 
this  unknowable  may  be  known. 

How  ?  What  is  the  clew  of  this  mystery  ?  It  is  here 
given:  "That  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  i7i  love,  may 
be  able  to  comprehend."  Love  alone  can  comprehend 
love.  It  cannot  be  reached  by  objective  analysis.  How 
do  we  know  the  light  ?  By  studying  Tyndall's  essays  ? 
Nay,  rather  by  seeing  the  sun  come  forth  like  a  bride- 
groom from  his  chamber,  climb  to  the  zenith  by  ever 
brightening  steps  and  go  down  again  to  his  couch  amid 
the  crimson  glories.  The  thing  that  we  know  becomes  a 
part  of  us.  Apprehension  is  putting  the  hand  to  a  thing  ; 
comprehension  is  closing  the  hand  around  it  A  man 
may  easily  understand  the  chemistry  of  water  yet  die  for 
want  of  a  cup  of  it. 

A  letter  comes  to  me  from  a  dear  old-fashioned  friend, 


A   WONDERFUL   PRAYER.  I9 

written  in  stilted  phrases  and  a  cramped  hand.  You  read 
it  and  smile ;  there  's  nothing  there  for  you.  Ah,  but  she's 
not  your  mother.  Give  me  the  letter,  now  ;  how  it  warms 
my  heart  and  bedews  my  eyes  !  Love  only  can  compre- 
hend love.  God's  goodness  is  Sanscrit  to  all  but  his  chil- 
dren. If  you  would  understand,  you  must  yourself  be 
"  rooted  "  in  it,  like  a  tree  drawing  its  life  from  a  fountain 
beneath  the  hills.  If  you  would  comprehend,  you  must 
be  "  grounded  "  on  it,  like  a  temple  resting  on  a  rock. 
Love  is  the  clew  of  the  mystery  of  love. 

Third  mystery :  "  That  ye  might  be  filled  with  all  the 
fulness  of  God."  To  be  thus  filled  is  to  be  satisfied.  In 
him  are  all  the  riches  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  At  his 
right  hand  are  pleasures  for  evermore.  Whosoever  has 
possessed  himself  of  God  can  want  no  more.  "  In  hym  ye 
ben  fylled."  What  is  this — the  fulness  of  God  ?  The  ful- 
ness of  God  dwelling  in  the  soul  of  a  mortal  man  ! 

And  how  shall  we  enter  into  possession  of  it  ?  The 
clew  of  this  greatest  of  mysteries  awaits  us  in  the  heaven- 
ly realms.  Eye  hath  not  seen,  ear  hath  not  heard,  neither 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things  which  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him.  In  that  day  we 
shall  know.  In  that  day  we  shall  be  satisfied.  The  di- 
vine glory  will  flood  our  souls,  and  we  shall  be  filled  with 
the  fulness  of  God. 

Meanwhile  it  is  ours  to  long  and  aspire.  If  we  may 
not  realize  the  vast  possibilities  of  Christian  life  and  use- 
fulness we  may  at  the  least  covet  them  earnestly,  and  ap- 
proach them  nearer  every  day.  Blessed  are  they  that 
hunger  and  thirst ;  for  they  shall  be  filled. 

If  we  fall  short  of  our  full  privilege  it  is  not  because  of 
any  reluctance  on  God's  part.  He  is  willing  to  bless  unto 
the  uttermost.      Large  prayers  honor  him.      When  a  cer- 


20  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

tain  follower  of  King  Philip  asked,  as  a  reward  for  some 
signal  service,  the  revenues  of  an  Asian  province,  the 
prime  minister  cried  out  at  the  presumption ;  but  the  king 
said,  "  Let  his  request  be  granted.  His  bold  demand 
honors  my  magnanimity."  Thus  God  is  pleased  by  large 
drafts  upon  his  goodness.  "  Open  your  mouths  wide," 
he  says,  "  and  I  will  fill  them."  Let  us  be  eager,  hke  the 
devotees  of  Eleusis,  to  enter  into  the  mysteries.  To  have 
Christ  dweUing  in  us,  to  know  the  love  of  God  that  pas- 
seth  knowledge,  and  to  hold  up  one's  heart  like  a  chalice 
to  be  filled  at  the  infinite  Fountain — this  is  to  be  strength- 
ened with  might  in  the  inner  man.  And  going  on  from 
grace  to  grace,  from  glory  to  glory,  we  shall  know  at 
length  what  this  means :  to  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of 
God. 


SANBALLAT   AND   TOBIAH.  21 

SANBALLAT  ATO  TOBIAH;  HOW  THEY 
HINDERED  THE  BUILDERS. 


•'  It  came  to  pass  that  when  Sanballat  and  Tobiah  and  the  Arabians 
and  the  Ammonites  and  the  Ashdodites  heard  that  the  repair- 
ing of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  went  forward  (R.  V.)  then  they 
were  very  wroth,  and  they  conspired  all  of  them  together  to 
hinder  it."     Nehemiah  4:7. 

One  moonlight  night,  445  B.  C,  a  man  accompanied 
by  a  modest  retinue  rode  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem. 
He  was  profoundly  moved  by  the  desolation  on  every 
side — for  "  the  walls  of  the  city  were  broken  down  and  the 
gates  thereof  were  burned  with  fire."  This  was  the  cup- 
bearer or  prime  minister  of  Artaxerxes,  who  had  come  all 
the  way  from  Persia  to  inspect  "  the  city  of  his  fathers' 
sepulchres."  He  had  heard  a  rumor  that  "  the  remnant 
of  the  captivity,"  that  is,  such  as  remained  in  Jerusalem 
after  the  successive  deportations,  had  been  prevented  by 
the  intimidations  of  their  foes  from  rebuilding  the  ruined 
walls.  He  besought  the  king's  permission  and  repaired  at 
once  to  Jerusalem.  "  And  I  arose  in  the  night,"  he  says, 
"  and  some  few  men  with  me  ;  neither  told  I  any  man 
what  God  had  put  into  my  heart  to  do."  He  rode  out 
towards  the  south  into  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  turned 
northward  past  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  then  westward  and 
southward,  and  so,  completing  the  circuit,  entered  again 
by  the  valley  gate.  And  wherever  he  went  there  was 
naught  but  desolation,  dust  and  ashes ;  debris  filling  the 
streets.  The  next  morning  he  summoned  the  priests  and 
nobles  and  laid  the  matter  plainly  before  them.     "  Up,  let 


22  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

US  build,"  said  he,  "  that  we  be  no  more  a  reproach."  He 
recited  the  Lord's  goodness  and  assured  them  of  his  bless- 
ing, saying,  "  The  God  of  heaven,  he  will  prosper  us." 
The  rulers  were  stimulated  by  his  earnest  words,  and  an- 
swered with  one  accord,  "  Let  us  rise  up  and  build !" 

Our  life  is  structural.  We  walk  in  the  midst  of  ruins. 
Human  nature  is  a  ruin;  magnificent  in  its  decay,  but 
still  a  ruin.  Its  dreary  solitudes  are  haunted  by  the  Hn- 
gering  echoes  of  past  songs  and  prayers.  Over  its  crum- 
bling archway  is  an  inscription,  "  Here  once  dwelt  God." 
The  prime  duty  of  every  man  is  to  restore  this  lonely  ruin 
to  its  pristine  glory.  This  is  character  building  :  to  pre- 
pare the  soul  for  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

Society,  also,  is  in  ruins.  The  work  of  the  rebuilder 
is  sadly  needed.  Evil  lusts  and  appetites,  like  toads  and 
adders,  hide  under  the  mould.  Envy  and  malice  and  self- 
ishness, like  owls  and  bitterns,  make  their  nests  among 
the  crumbling  arches.  A  new  science  is  born  in  these 
days  called  sociology,  whose  function  is  to  repair  the  waste 
places  of  human  fellowship.  It  is  indeed  a  higher  sort  ot 
architecture,  a  true  edification,  or  temple  building ;  and  it 
behooves  all  earnest  m.en  to  engage  in  it. 

The  world  itself  is  a  ruin.  So  fair  at  creation  that 
God,  beholding,  pronounced  it  "  very  good,"  it  has 
been  so  ravaged  by  sin  that  yonder  moon,  burnt  over 
long  centuries  ago,  is  not  more  scarred  or  unsightly.  The 
trail  of  the  serpent  is  over  all.  The  cross  was  reared  for 
its  redemption  nineteen  hundred  years  ago  and  still  there 
are  sixteen  hundred  millions  of  its  inhabitants  who  dwell 
in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  Here  indeed  is 
work  for  the  builder.  The  kingdom  of  God  rises  so  slow- 
ly. The  laborers  are  so  few.  Oh,  men  of  Israel,  let  us  rise 
and  build ! 


SANBALLAT  AND   TOBIAH.  23 

There  are  multitudes  of  people  who  seem  actuated 
by  no  nobler  purpose  than  to  make  life  yield  its  utmost  of 
enjoyment;  who  go  through  the  world  as  tramps  go 
through  a  village,  in  at  one  end  and  out  at  the  other,  with 
all  their  possessions  in  a  bundle  over  their  shoulders,  ask- 
ing only  a  hedge  to  sleep  under  and  provisions  by  the 
way.  But  life  is  worth  living  only  for  what  it  promises  of 
the  life  beyond.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  can  interpret 
aright  these  cabalistic  words  on  the  moss-grown  portal  of 
Melrose : 

"  The  earth  goes  on  the  earth  glittering  with  gold  ; 

The  earth  goes  on  the  earth  sooner  than  it  should ; 

The  earth  builds  on  the  earth  casdes  and  towers  ; 

The  earth  says  to  the  earth,  'All  this  is  ours.'" 

The  wise  man  is  he  who  is  ever  building  and  who,  like 
Piso,  "  builds  for  eternity." 

Here  is  the  difficulty,  however :  the  moment  a  man 
undertakes  to  build — in  the  glorious  fabric  of  character, 
for  the  betterment  of  the  community  or  the  setting  up  of 
righteousness  on  earth — the  adversary  draws  near. 

I.  Open  hostility.  "  Now  when  Sanballat  and  Tobiah 
heard  that  our  hands  were  strengthened  for  the  work 
they  said,  What  is  this  thing  that  ye  do  ?  Will  ye  rebel 
against  the  king  ?"  Rebellion  !  Aye.  A  good  hfe  is 
in  downright  defiance  of  the  prince  of  this  world.  Moral 
earnestness  is  treason  against  the  evil  one.  It  is  not  to 
be  expected,  therefore,  that  a  builder  on  Zion's  walls 
should  be  unmolested.  Is  the  servant  greater  than  his 
Lord  ?  "  If  they  have  hated  me,"  said  Jesus,  "  shall  they 
not  also  hate  you  ?" 

The  Lord  be  praised  that  the  days  of  the  ax  and  fagot, 
of  blood  council  and  Inquisition,  have  gone  by !  But 
there  are  current  modes  of  opposition  as  effective  as  rack 


24  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

or  thumbscrew.  The  voice  of  calumny  is  not  hushed. 
The  moral  boycott  is  in  force.  Do  you  urge  the  tem- 
perance reform  ?  You  are  a  fanatic.  Are  you  in  favor 
of  Sabbath  observance?  You  are  a  puritanical  bigot. 
Do  you  lift  your  voice  in  behalf  of  pure  politics  ?  You 
are  a  mugwump.  It  is  an  uncomfortable  thing  to  fall  out 
with  the  fashion  any  way. 

It  is  recorded  of  St.  Anthony,  the  father  of  mona- 
chism,  that  being  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake  he 
took  refuge  in  a  cave  by  the  river  Nile ;  but  there  the  red 
eyes  of  devils  leered  upon  him,  the  air  was  resonant  with 
epithets,  snares  were  spread  before  his  feet,  not  a  moment 
was  he  permitted  to  rest.  We  also  have  our  St.  Anthony, 
as  worthy  of  canonization  as  any  old-time  ascetic.  He 
has  made  himself  obnoxious  to  the  Arabians  and  the 
Ammonites  and  the  Ashdodites  by  his  unceasing  hostil- 
ity to  social  vices.  Threats,  personal  violence,  and  im- 
prisonment are  the  least  of  his  sufferings.  For  years  he 
has  stood  up  under  an  unremitting  rain  of  detraction  and 
misrepresentation.  In  his  endeavor  to  suppress  the  cir- 
culation of  obscene  literature  through  the  United  States 
mails  he  was  forced  to  confront  the  violent  opposition  of 
Robert  G.  Ingersoll  with  fifty  thousand  names  of  infidel 
friends  of  personal  liberty.  No  epithets  have  been  too  vile 
to  apply  to  him.  And  bearing  this  with  Christian  patience, 
modesty  and  fortitude  he  has  gone  upon  his  way.  God 
bless  Anthony  Comstock !  This  is  the  stuff  that  nine- 
teenth century  saints  are  made  of. 

II.  But  the  resources  of  the  enemy  are  not  exhausted 
in  open  hostihty.  If  they  cannot  hinder  the  work  of  the 
builders  by  angry  denunciation  they  will  laugh  them  out 
of  it.  It  is  related  that,  when  Sanballat  and  Tobiah  were 
made  aware  of  the  futility  of  their  threats  by  the  sound  of 


SANBALLAT   AND   TOBIAH.  25 

trowels  upon  the  ruined  walls,  they  "  took  great  indigna- 
tion." They  stood  under  the  walls,  within  hearing  ol 
the  Samaritan  army,  and  made  sport  of  the  builders. 

"  What  do  these  feeble  Jews  ?"  asked  Sanballat.  "  Is 
it  a  fortification  that  they  build,  or  an  altar  for  sacrifice? 
Will  they  revive  the  stones  of  this  rubbish  heap  ?  And 
will  they  finish  the  work  to-day,  or  to-morrow,  think  you  ?" 
*  "  Ha,  ha !"  laughed  Tobiah,  glancing  towards  the 
workmen ;  "  It 's  a  wall,  I  reckon  ;  but  if  a  fox  should  run 
over  it  he  would  break  it  down!" 

Then  a  burst  of  laughter  echoed  from  the  hillsides 
where  the  Samarites  stood  beholding. 

"  Hearken,  O  God !  For  we  are  despised,  and  they 
provoke  thee  to  anger."  Thus  Nehemiah  raised  his 
voice  in  prayer.  And  God  heard,  and  enheartened  the 
people ;  and  the  work  went  on. 

Was  ever  a  man  in  earnest  yet  without  provoking  de- 
rision ?  More  people  die  of  ridicule  than  of  poison,  or 
cholera,  or  cannon-balls.  Was  the  world  ever  yet  will- 
ing that  a  poor  fellow  should  rebuild  character  out  of  the 
dust  and  ashes  of  a  mislived  past?  "Oh,  come  now," 
say  his  companions  ;  "  a  glass  wont  hurt  you.  Do  n't  be 
?,  chump.  Going  to  join  the  Holy  Club  ?  Ha,  ha ! 
Come  on  !"  But,  God  bless  the  struggler  !  In  the  church 
at  Treviso  is  a  chain  with  the  imprint  of  a  finger  on  it. 
They  say  that  one  night  Emiliani  awoke  in  his  dungeon . 
and  saw  an  angel  standing  near.  "Arise  and  be  free," 
said  the  angel ;  and  at  his  touch  the  prisoner's  chain  fell 
off.  The  Angel  of  Deliverance  is  ever  near.  God  helps 
the  man  who  helps  himself  A  word  of  prayer, 
"  Hearken,  O  God !"  is  answered  by  the  sound  of 
breaking  chains. 

The  man  likewise  who  busies  himself  for  the  better- 


26  THE    RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

ment  of  the  community  must  expect  to  be  made  sport  of. 
The  dives  will  keep  open  and  vice  will  rustle  past,  and 
magistrates — God  save  the  mark  !— will  chuckle,  "What 
are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?"  Something  of  that  sort 
happened  when  the  ruddy  son  of  Jesse  went  down  into 
the  valley  of  Elah.  The  Israehtes  smiled  at  his  presump- 
tion, the  Philistines  roared  at  him,  his  own  brethren 
guyed  him,  saying,  "  Go  back  to  your  sheep  in  the  wil- 
derness !"  and  the  giant  shouted,  "  Am  I  a  dog,  that  thou 
comest  to  me  with  staves?"  But  when  the  ruddy  youth 
came  up  from  the  valley  dragging  after  him  Goliath's 
gory  head,  ah,  then  the  surrounding  hills  reechoed  his 
praises  !     The  man  who  succeeds  is  derided  no  more. 

An  enterprise  along  the  broader  lines  of  evangehza- 
tion  is  sure  to  provoke  the  world's  contempt.  WilHam 
Gary,  for  proposing  the  missionary  conquest  of  India,  was 
dubbed  "the  consecrated  cobbler;"  but  the  universal 
church  does  him  reverence  to-day.  What  shouts  of 
laughter  greeted  the  early  efforts  of  the  Salvation  Army : 
the  drum  and  tambourine  and  flag  of  blood  and  fire  were 
quite  vulgar.  But  now — ah,  God  and  time  make  all 
things  right.  We  are  glad  to  pause  and  hearken,  and  say, 
"God  bless  them  !"  when  the  procession  goes  past  on  its 
way  to  the  slums,  singing, 

"  He  's  the  Lily  of  the  Valley,  the  Bright  and  Morning  Star ; 
He's  the  fairest  often  thousand  to  my  soul !" 

in.  One  thing  still  remains  for  Sanballat  and  Tobiah 
when  open  enmity  and  ridicule  have  failed.  "  Come,  let 
us  meet  together  in  the  valley  of  Ono,"  they  say ;  "  why 
should  we  quarrel  ?  Let  us  talk  matters  over  and  arrange 
a  truce." 

There  is  nothing  more  dangerous  to  holy  resolution 


SANBALLAT   AND   TOBIAH.  2/ 

than  this — the  temptation  to  compromise.  Compromise 
never  won  a  good  cause  yet.  Our  country  has  suffered 
from  it.  Our  missionary  boards  have  suffered  from  it. 
"  Nothing  is  setded,"  said  Abraham  Lincoln,  "  until  it  is 
settled  right."  There  is  no  neutral  ground,  no  valley  of 
Ono,  in  matters  of  spiritual  import. 

Where  shall  we  compromise  ?  In  questions  pertain- 
ing to  truth  ?     Nay,  the  truth  against  the  world  ! 

In  matters  of  conscience  ?  Nay,  let  the  old  Roman 
answer,  ''  Fiat  justitia,  ruat  coelum  f  Do  right,  though 
the  heavens  come  rattling  down  about  you. 

In  our  devotion  to  the  Master's  cause  ?  Nay,  **  Sell 
all  that  thou  hast  and  come  and  follow  me."  Our  Lord 
demands  an  entire  surrender  and  faithfulness  unto  death — 
faithfulness  like  that  of  the  lighthouse-keeper  at  Minot 
Ledge.  The  storm  had  raged  all  day;  at  evening  the 
lights  were  kindled  and  the  bell  struck  the  passing  hours. 
The  people  watching  from  the  shore  saw  the  lighthouse 
swaying  like  a  bulrush  in  the  storm.  Still  the  light 
shone  and  the  bell  rang  through  the  mist.  At  length  a 
mighty  wave  rolled  in  over  the  reef.  The  people  looked 
and  listened:  the,  light  was  out — the  bell  was  hushed. 
Thus  may  Death  find  us  all  at  the  post  of  duty ! 

The  watchword  of  Israel  in  those  days  of  trial  was, 
"  Remember  the  Lord  !"  The  guards  repeated  it  as  they 
patrolled  the  walls ;  the  workmen  cheered  each  other  on 
with  that  brave  countersign,  "  Remember  the  Lord — the 
Lord  that  delivered  his  servants  from  the  fiery  furnace 
and  from  Pharaoh's  host !"  Fifty-two  days  were  they 
rebuilding  the  ruins ;  and  then  they  marched  about  the 
streets  waving  lulab  branches  and  singing,  "  Oh  that  men 
would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his  Vv'on- 
derful  works  to  the  children  of  men!" 


28  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

Up,  brethren,  and  let  us  build.  Let  us  repair  the 
waste  places  of  our  personal  character,  of  society,  and  of 
this  sin-cursed  world.  If  God  be  for  us,  who  shall  be 
against  us  ?  "  Stand  fast,  Craig;  Ellachie  !"  The  day  of 
rejoicing  will  come.  Our  Lord  Zerubbabel  will  bring 
forth  the  headstone  of  the  corner  and  lay  it  amid  shout- 
ings of  saints  and  angels,  "  Grace,  grace  unto  it !" 


THE    DEATH    WARRANT   OF   THE    HUGUENOTS.    29 


THE 

DEATH  WARRANT  OF  THE  HUGUE- 
NOTS.* 


"  And  when  he  had  opened  the  fifth  seal,  I  saw  under  the  altar  the 
souls  of  them  that  were  slain  for  the  word  of  God  and  for  the 
testimony  which  they  held.  And  they  cried  with  a  loud  voice, 
saying,  How  long,  O  Lord,  holy  and  true,  dost  thou  not  judge 
and  avenge  our  blood  on  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth?"  Rev. 
6:9,  10. 

In  1450  A.  D.  the  Mazarin  Bible  made  its  appearance. 
This  was  a  notable  event.  A  copy  of  the  Scriptures  had 
previously  cost  a  sum  of  money  equal  to  a  year's  wages 
of  a  laboring  man.  The  Word  was  now  within  the  reach 
of  all.  The  thing  looked  like  witchcraft.  The  copies  on 
comparison  were  found  to  be  precisely  uniform — more 
evidence  of  the  black  art.  The  publication  was  traced  to 
the  workshop  of  Faust,  who  was  arrested  and  cast  into 
prison ;  nor  was  he  released  until  he  revealed  the  secret 
of  his  magic  art. 

The  people  now  began  to  read.  The  weaver  at  his 
loom,  the  shoemaker  at  his  bench,  took  pleasure  in  the 
sacred  book.  It  was  a  great  day  for  common  folk.  The 
entrance  of  God's  word  gave  light.  But  that  way  lay 
danger  to  the  Holy  See.     One  of  the  cardinals  said,  "  A 

*  Preached  by  Dr.  Burrell  on  the  208th  anniversary  of  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes, 


30  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

book  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  people — a  book  of 
brambles,  and  vipers  in  them." 

In  France  the  Bible  readers  were  called  Huguenots 
from  a  word  used  in  the  nursery  like  Bogy,  or  Bugaboo. 
The  name  meant  night-walkers,  and  its  pertinency  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  when  the  day's  work  was  over  these 
simple  people  were  wont  to  meet  in  retired  places  to  read 
together  the  blessed  Word  of  Life. 

The  story  of  the  Huguenots  covers  about  two  centu- 
ries. It  may,  for  convenience,  be  divided  into  three  pe- 
riods. 

The  first  period  begins  with  the  accession  of  Francis 
I.,  in  the  year  15 15.  At  the  outset  he  was  disposed  to 
toleration,  but  was  soon  moved  by  papal  argument  to 
pledge  himself  to  the  extirpation  of  heresy. 

A  wool-carder  of  Meaux,  named  Jean  Le  Clerc,  had 
come  into  possession  of  a  New  Testament.  He  became 
convinced,  by  reading  this,  of  the  sinfulness  of  image- 
worship  and  of  the  confessional.  He  tore  down  a  papal 
bull  on  indulgences  from  the  door  of  the  parish  church 
and  posted  instead  a  figure  of  the  pope  as  Antichrist. 
He  was  taken  to  Paris  and  condemned  for  heresy.  He 
was  scourged  through  the  streets  and  branded  on  the 
forehead  with  the  fleur-de-lis.  He  was  then  released, 
only  to  be  rearrested  for  having  a  Bible  in  his  possession. 
His  right  hand  was  cut  off  at  the  wrist,  his  arms  were 
broken,  the  eyes  that  had  looked  upon  the  forbidden  page 
were  gouged  out ;  then  he  was  taken  to  the  stake :  as  the 
fagots  were  kindled  his  head  was  encircled  with  red-hot 
iron.  A  voice  in  the  company  was  heard  to  say,  "  Stand 
firm,  O  witness  for  the  truth  !"  It  was  his  mother's  voice ; 
and  while  the  fervid  metal  was  eating  its  way  to  the  brain 
he  calmly  repeated,  "  Glory  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son, 


THE   DEATH   WARRANT   OF   THE   HUGUENOTS.    3 1 

and  to  the  Holy  Ghost.  Amen  ;"  then  his  voice  was 
stifled.  This  was  the  proto-martyr  of  the  Reformation  in 
France. 

The  witnesses  came  in  quick  succession,  by  scores 
and  hundreds,  to  the  axe  and  the  fagot,  or  to  be  broken 
on  the  wheel.  There  were  bonfires  of  Bibles,  kindled  by 
order  of  the  Sorbonne,  in  public  places.  The  works  of 
the  reformers  were  committed  to  the  flames.  The  time 
would  fail  me  to  tell  of  those  who  at  this  period  "  had  trial 
of  cruel  mockings  and  scourgings,  of  bonds  and  impris- 
onment ;  being  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented  ;  of  whom 
the  world  was  not  worthy." 

The  Huguenots  contented  themselves  with  a  warfare 
of  placards,  called  Pasquinades,  which  were  posted  by 
night.  Qne  of  them  may  be  given  by  way  of  illustration. 
It  was  affixed  to  the  door  of  the  king's  bedchamber : 

"  I  invoke  heaven  and  earth  in  testimony  of  the  truth 
against  that  proud  and  impious  papal  Mass,  which  (unless 
it  be  overthrown)  is  destined  to  destroy  France.  For 
therein  is  the  Lord  blasphemed.  There  is  no  sacrifice 
but  One,  namely,  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  offered  once  for 
all.  But,  behold,  our  land  is  flooded  with  wretched 
priests  who  proclaim  that  Jesus  Christ  must  be  uplifted 
and  sacrificed  over  and  over  again,  even  while  in  their 
vespers  they  chant  that  he  is  a  Priest  for  ever  after  the 
order  of  Melchizedek.  Wherefore  they  themselves,  in 
spite  of  themselves,  do  admit  that  the  pope  and  all  his 
brood  of  cardinals  and  canting  priests,  with  all  who  con- 
sent thereto,  are  false  prophets,  apostates,  damnable  de- 
ceivers, wolves  in  sheep's  clothing,  execrable  liars  and 
blasphemers,  murderers  of  souls,  renouncers  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  robbers  of  the  honor  of  God.  I  demand  of 
them  whether  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ  was  perfect  or 


32  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

not  ;  if  imperfect,  why  do  they  deceive  the  people  ?  if 
perfect,  why  do  they  repeat  it  ?  Come  forward,  ye  blas- 
phemers, and  answer  if  ye  can." 

The  king  and  the  priesthood  were  beside  themselves 
with  fury.  The  Pasquinades  appeared  in  the  most  pre- 
posterous places.  At  length  an  edict  was  issued  prohib- 
iting this  use  of  the  printing-press  on  penalty  of  death. 
It  was  too  late,  quite  too  late ;  as  well  might  a  cricket  have 
chirped  against  the  roll  of  heaven's  thunder. 

Then  came  the  Estrapades,  a  refinement  of  cruelty 
which  seems  incredible  in  these  enlightened  days.  In  the 
Place  before  the  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame  the  unfortu- 
nates who  persisted  in  reading  the  Scriptures,  or  who 
were  suspected  of  preparing  the  placards,  were  suspended 
by  chains  over  slow  fires.  In  their  last  anguish  they  sup- 
ported one  another  with  Scriptural  promises  and  exhorta- 
tions to  fidehty.  This  led  to  further  atrocities.  The 
tongues  of  the  victims  were  now  torn  out  before  the  flames 
were  kindled.  God  is  a  sure  paymaster.  The  hour  of 
retribution  drew  nigh.  The  perpetrators  of  these  horrors 
had  sown  the  wind  ;  they  were  destined  to  reap  the  whirl- 
wind. 

The  second  period,  which  may  be  characterized  as  the 
period  of  Massacre,  begins  with  the  accession  of  Charles  IX. 
in  the  year  1559.  He  was  a  mere  boy,  and  the  govern- 
ment was  in  the  hands  of  his  mother,  Catharine  de'  Medici, 
in  alHance  with  the  Guises.  At  this  time  the  Bible  read- 
ers had  so  multiplied,  despite  their  persecutions,  that  Car- 
dinal de  St.  Croix  said,  *'  France  is  half  Huguenot."  The 
Admiral  Coligny  wrote  to  the  queen  mother,  "  We  have 
more  than  two  thousand  churches  and  four  hundred  thou- 
sand men  able  to  bear  arms."  It  was  apparent  that  this 
"  heresy"could  not  be  extirpated  by  picking  off  the  heretics 


THE  DEATH  WARRANT  OF  THE  HUGUENOTS.  33 

one  by  one.  They  must  be  slain  en  masse,  by  groups  and 
congregations. 

The  Duke  of  Guise,  leading  his  armed  followers  through 
the  village  of  Vassy,  heard  the  singing  of  hymns.  A  party 
of  Huguenots  were  gathered  in  a  barn  for  divine  service. 
The  rude  sanctuary  was  invested  by  the  duke's  men  at 
arms ;  the  signal  was  given,  and  for  an  hour  they  hacked 
and  stabbed  the  unresisting  worshippers.  There  upon  the 
floor  lay  sixty  dead  and  two  hundred  more  wrestling  with 
death.  Along  rode  the  duke  towards  Paris,  where,  the 
news  having  gone  before  him,  he  was  welcomed  by  the 
clergy  with  Te  Deuvis  and  hailed  as  the  deliverer  of 
France. 

Then  Catharine  de'  Medici  and  the  Duke  of  Alva  met 
on  the  borders  of  Spain.  It  was  a  significant  conference. 
The  world  was  divided  between  them  for  the  destruction 
of  heresy.  Alva  took  the  Netherlands  and  commenced 
that  fierce  campaign  of  blood  and  fire  in  which  the  Beg- 
gars of  Holland  made  themselves  immortal  as  champions 
of  the  faith.  France  was  assigned  to  Catharine.  She 
hastened  to  her  task.  The  king  was  entreated  day  and 
night  to  sign  the  death  sentence  of  the  Huguenots.  At 
last,  wearied  by  importunity,  he  signed,  saying,  "  Let  the 
work  be  done  so  thoroughly  that  no  Huguenot  shall  sur- 
vive to  shake  his  finger  at  me."  At  dead  of  night,  the 
awful  night  of  August  24,  1572,  the  bell  of  St.  Germain 
sounded,  and  the  royal  guards,  wearing  white  stars  and 
crosses  on  their  hats,  were  let  loose  upon  the  defenceless 
people.  The  Duke  of  Guise  himself  murdered  the  aged 
Coligny,  whom  all  France  revered  as  a  noble  and  spotless 
man.  The  king,  from  one  of  the  galleries  of  the  Louvre, 
aimed  his  arquebus  at  the  panic-stricken  crowd.  The  tiger 
was  let  loose  at  daybreak  ;  the  streets  were  filled  with  mu- 
3 


34  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

tilated  corpses ;  the  gutters  ran  red.  Three  days  the 
massacre  continued,  not  in  Paris  alone  but  in  many  of  the 
rural  towns  and  villages.  One  hundred  thousand  of  the 
best  people  of  France  were  slain  ! 

The  news  was  brought  to  Rome ;  the  bells  rang  cheer- 
ily, and  cannon  boomed  from  the  castle  of  San  Angelo.  It 
is  vain  to  deny  the  responsibility  of  his  Holiness  for  this 
awful  deed.  What  is  written  is  written.  On  the  wall  of  the 
Sistine  Chapel  was  for  many  years  a  commemorative  fresco, 
painted  by  the  Pope's  order,  with  the  inscription,  "  Pontifex 
Colinii  Necem  Probat ;"  that  is,  "The  Pope  approves  Colig- 
ny's  murder."  A  medal  was  struck  in  commemoration  of 
this  event,  copies  of  which  are  still  extant,  bearing  the 
effigy  of  Pope  Gregory  and  on  the  reverse  a  picture  of  the 
massacre — an  angel  with  a  cross  in  the  left  hand  and  a  sword 
in  the  right,  and  underneath  the  words  "  Ugonottorum 
Strages,  1572  " — "  The  Massacre  of  the  Huguenots,  1572." 

God  is  a  sure  paymaster.  The  time  would  surely  come 
when  the  Romish  church  would  rue  this  baptism  of  blood. 

"  God's  mills  grind  slow 
But  they  grind  woe." 

The  last  period  oi  this  eventful  history  begins  with  the 
accession  of  Henry  IV.,  in  the  year  1598.  Henry  the 
Fourth  was  a  Huguenot,  and  at  once  issued  a  manifesto 
permitting  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  exercise 
of  the  individual  conscience  in  the  worship  of  God.  The 
Pope  protested.  "A  decree  giving  liberty  of  conscience," 
said  he,  "  is  the  most  accursed  that  could  be  made."  For 
twelve  blessed  years  the  land  had  rest.  Then  Henry  was 
assassinated  and  discord  broke  out.  The  Government  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Marie  de'  Medici  with  the  Cardinal  Riche- 
lieu as  her  mighty  ally.  Ominous  names  !  An  attempt 
was   made  to  destroy  heresy  by  offering  a  price  for  the 


THE   DEATH    WARRANT   OF   THE   HUGUENOTS.    35 

conversion  of  each  Huguenot.  Failing  in  that  the  Dragon- 
nades  were  instituted.  All  the  Huguenot  ministers  were 
doomed  to  immediate  exile ;  no  others  were  allowed  to 
emigrate  ;  the  schools  were  closed  ;  the  Bible  readers  were 
ordered  to  recant  or  die.  An  order  was  issued  for  the 
destruction  of  the  Huguenot  churches.  All  children  must 
now  be  baptized  by  the  parish  priest.  The  dying  must  re- 
ceive priestly  absolution,  otherwise  the  body  was  removed 
by  the  common  hangman  and  flung  into  the  pubhc  sewer. 

The  people  fled  fin  multitudes.  In  vain  were  guards 
stationed  along  the  seashore  and  borders  ;  in  vain  did 
ships  of  war  go  cruising  up  and  down.  Those  who 
were  caught  attempting  to  fly  were  sentenced  to  the  gal- 
leys for  life.  Still  the  persecuted  fled  over  the  trackless 
wastes,  and  through  the  forests  by  unfrequented  paths. 
They  hid  among  the  cargoes,  in  bales  of  goods  and  empty 
casks.  They  endured  unspeakable  hardships  in  their  de- 
sire to  flee  from  their  Rome-cursed  fatherland.  A  royal 
order  was  issued  that  the  holds  of  vessels  about  to  sail 
should  be  fumigated  with  deadly  gases.  Still  they  fled. 
It  is  estimated  that  during  these  Dragotinades  not  less 
than  five  hundred  thousand  of  her  thriftiest  population 
were  lost  to  France. 

Then  the  death  blow.  On  October  22, 1685,  Louis  XIV. 
signed  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  It  was 
urged  by  the  priests,  who  said,  **  The  Huguenots  are  per- 
ished from  the  earth,  why  should  the  charter  of  their 
heresy  be  left  as  a  dead  letter  upon  the  statute  books  ?" 
The  king  had  no  alternative  but  to  consent.  In  this  deed 
he  did  penance  for  the  shameless  vices  of  his  former  Hfe. 
The  next  day  he  married  Madame  de  Maintenon.  She 
was  the  price  of  his  perfidy.  Toll  the  bells!  The  long 
struggle  is  over.    The  Dragotinades  have  done  their  work. 


36  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

What  then  ?  God  is  a  sure  paymaster.  The  wrongs 
inflicted  on  the  Huguenots  destroyed  the  supremacy  of 
France.  She  was  once  the  leading  nation  on  earth.  To- 
day her  magnates,  trembhng  at  the  hfted  finger  of  the  war 
lord  of  Germany,  are  hobnobbing  with  a  captain  of  the 
Czar's  navy.  By  the  deportation  of  the  Huguenots  the 
industries  of  France  were  paralyzed.  The  looms  of  Lyons 
were  abandoned ;  the  hammer  rested  on  the  anvil.  Too 
late  the  nation  discovered  the  value  of  its  thrifty  middle 
class,  its  Third  Estate, 

Now  began  those  ominous  mutterings  against  the  di- 
vine right  of  kings  and  the  usurpation  of  a  titled  aristoc- 
racy which  were  consummated  in  the  Reign  of  Terror. 
The  mobs  were  soon  clamoring  for  Marat  and  Robespierre. 
The  pillars  of  the  government  were  trembling  in  the  grip 
of  retribution.  Louis  XVL  must  presently  bow  his  head 
to  the  guillotine,  and  his  last  testimony,  drowned  by  the 
beating  of  drums,  would  recall  the  silencing  of  the  victims 
of  the  Estrapades.  The  fathers  had  eaten  a  sour  grape 
and  the  children's  teeth  were  set  on  edge. 

But  heaviest  of  all  fell  the  blow  of  judgment  upon  the 
church  that  had  instigated  those  bloody  deeds.  Ere 
long  the  shrines  of  Mary  were  violated.  Ere  long  the 
people  were  bowing  before  a  courtesan  as  the  Goddess 
of  Reason.  Ere  long  the  Corps  Legislatif  was  ringing 
with  the  shout,  "  No  God  !  No  God !"  The  multitudes 
abandoned  the  churches  and  sought  the  counsels  of  Vol- 
taire and  Rousseau.  If  Romanism  is  struck  with  death  in 
France  to-day,  it  is  not  Protestantism  but  mad  atheism 
that  has  done  it.  And  indeed  the  Romish  church  is  mor- 
ibund in  France.  Could  it  be  otherwise  ?  Is  God  blind, 
or  do  the  people  so  soon  forget?  Why  should  France 
pay  homage  to  the  scarlet  woman,  who  for  two  long  cen- 


THE   DEATH   WARRANT   OF   THE   HUGUENOTS.    37 

turies  reddened  her  garments  with  the  blood  of  the  saints 
and  of  the  martyrs  of  Jesus? 

But  the  loss  of  France  was  the  gain  of  the  whole 
world.  The  Huguenots  who  fled  to  Holland  built  up  the 
magnificent  industries  of  that  country.  Their  names 
may  be  read  to-day  upon  the  shops  of  the  Hague. 
Their  trademark  is  on  the  potteries  of  Delft.  Those 
who  took  refuge  in  Switzerland — weavers,  glass-makers, 
artisans  of  every  sort — laid  the  foundations  of  her  pros- 
perity. In  England  the  armies  that  fought  for  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  freedom  were  largely  recruited  from  the 
Huguenot  refugees.  Up  to  that  time  England  had  been 
a  pastoral  country  ;  her  wool  had  been  shipped  to  France 
and  Flanders  for  manufacture.  All  this  was  henceforth 
done  at  home.  Manchester  and  the  other  great  manu- 
facturing centers  were  largely  erected  by  Huguenot  hands. 
We  note  in  Germany  the  same  result,  and  it  was  the  very 
refinement  of  the  poetry  of  retribution  that  many  of  the 
German  officers  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war  were  of  pure 
Huguenot  blood.  Thus  the  persecuted  who  fled  under 
the  Dragon7iades  were  like  those  who  were  scattered 
abroad  from  the  Holy  City  under  the  Pentecostal  bap- 
tism :  they  went  everywhere  with  gracious  influence  pro- 
claiming the  word  of  God. 

After  the  lapse  of  two  centuries  now  a  strange  thing 
happens.  Under  the  ashes  of  the  Huguenot  church  the 
fire  begins  to  burn.  It  was  a  true  word  of  the  Master 
concerning  his  Church,  "  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  pre- 
vail against  it."  "  Kill  them  all,"  said  Francis  I.,  "  lest  a 
Huguenot  shall  live  to  shake  his  finger  at  me !"  Never 
was  so  adroit  and  desperate  an  attempt  at  the  destruction 
of  a  people.  Yet,  lo,  after  the  lapse  of  these  centuries 
the  Huguenots  live  in  many  of  the  rural  towns  of  France ! 


38  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

They,  a  feeble  folk  like  the  conies,  are  meeting  together  and. 
reading  the  blessed  Word,  and  stretching  out  their  hands 
to  God's  people  in  earnest  entreaty  to  "  come  over  and  help 
us."  The  Huguenots  live !  "  The  church  is  an  anvil,"  said 
Beza  to  Henry  of  Navarre,  "  which  has  broken  many  ham- 
mers."    Aye,  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh  ! 

"  Hammer  away,  ye  rebel  bands ; 
Your  hammers  break,  God's  anvil  stands." 

Out  in  the  desert  of  Midian  the  watcher  of  Jethro's 
flocks  saw  an  acacia  bush  aflame.  As  he  looked  he 
wondered.  "  I  will  turn  aside,"  said  he,  "  and  see  this 
great  sight  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt."  Burning,  yet  never 
burnt.  Here  is  the  miracle  of  history.  The  hills  shall 
crumble,  the  earth  shall  be  consumed  with  fervent  heat, 
the  heavens  shall  be  rolled  together  as  a  scroll,  but  the 
truth,  God's  truth,  abideth  for  ever!  "  The  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it." 


THE   LEPERS    OF   SAMARIA.  39 


THE  LEPERS  OF  SAMARIA. 


"  Then  they  said  one  to  another,  we  do  not  well ;  this  day  is  a  day 
of  good  tidings,  and  we  hold  our  peace."     2  Kings  7:9. 

It  was  a  time  of  famine  in  Samaria.  The  sorrows  of 
the  people  had  reached  the  last  extremity.  The  pas- 
tures were  parched  and  brown ;  the  cattle  and  herds  went 
lowing  and  bleating  for  water  in  vain;  no  rain,  no 
dew !  The  heavens  above  were  like  brass ;  the  fleecy- 
clouds  that  swept  over  did  but  mock  the  anguish  ot 
the  people.  The  farmers  of  the  country  round  about 
had  been  crowding  into  the  city  in  the  hope  of  finding 
sustenance.  From  the  overflowing  population  a  bitter 
cry  of  anguish  went  up.  And  yet  a  sorer  experience 
awaited  them. 

The  king  of  Syria,  Ben-hadad,  had  for  ten  years  been 
awaiting  an  opportunity  to  avenge  an  aflront.  The  hour 
had  come.  With  a  vast  army  he  marched  out  along  the 
ancient  road  from  Damascus,  and  at  length,  with  waving 
banners,  emerged  into  the  vale  of  Shechem.  He  brought 
no  enginery  of  war.  His  purpose  was  to  reduce  Samaria 
by  the  slow  and  horrible  process  of  starvation.  The 
army  encamped  about  the  city,  enfolding  it  as  in  a  ser- 
pent's toils.  Who  now  shall  paint  'the  despair  of  beau- 
tiful doomed  Samaria?  Its  people  looked  forth  from 
tower  and  batdement,  and  while  the  pangs  of  hunger  con- 
sumed them,  they  could  hear  in  their  enemy's  camp  the 
sounds  of  feasting  and  laughter.  Their  streets  were 
filled  with  the  unburied  dead.     An  ass's  head  was  sold 


40  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

for  fourscore  pieces  of  silver.  Their  deepest  sorrow  was 
reached  when  at  length  it  was  rumored  that  a  mother 
had  slain  her  infant  for  food. 

At  this  juncture  a  strange  thing  happened.  In  the 
open  space  between  the  walls  of  the  city  and  the  Syrian 
camp  four  lepers  were  wandering  about  in  quest  of  food. 
Every  man's  hand  was  against  them.  They  were  perish- 
ing. What  should  they  do?  At  twilight  one  of  them 
said,  "Why  sit  we  here  until  we  die?  If  we  enter  the 
city  the  famine  is  there ;  if  we  sit  still  we  perish  also.  Let 
us  go  unto  the  host  of  the  Syrians ;  if  they  save  us  alive, 
we  shall  live ;  and  if  they  kill  us,  we  shall  but  die."  No 
sooner  said  than  done.  As  they  drew  near  the  Syrian 
camp  they  heard  no  sound  ;  no  clash  of  arms ;  no  footfall 
of  sentries  walking  to  and  fro.  Silence — dead  silence 
What  could  it  mean?  They  drew  nearer,  came  with- 
in the  lines,  and,  lo !  the  camp  had  been  deserted,  and 
in  great  haste ;  for  the  Lord  had  made  the  Syrians  to 
hear  the  sound  of  chariots  and  horsemen,  as  of  a  mighty 
host,  and  they  had  said  one  to  another,  "  The  Hittites 
come  from  the  north,  or  the  Egyptians  from  the  south  !" 
And  they  fled  in  sudden  panic. 

The  lepers  cautiously  approached  one  of  the  tents  and 
entered.  The  camp  table  was  spread  with  food.  They 
eagerly  fell  to,  and  satisfied  their  hunger.  Then,  going 
about  from  tent  to  tent,  they  gathered  up  the  vessels  of 
silver  and  gold,  the  spoil  of  Damascus,  and  hid  it  away 
in  the  earth.  Thus  the  night  passed.  The  first  rays  of 
the  morning  fell  upon  them.  Then  one  lifting  his  eyes 
beheld  yonder  the  walls  of  starving  Samaria.  Shame 
and  confusion  fell  upon  him.  "  My  brethren,"  he  cried, 
"  we  do  not  well ;  this  day  is  a  day  of  good  tidings,  and 
we  hold  our  peace  !" 


THE   LEPERS   OF   SAMARIA.  41 

There  spoke  the  awakening  spirit  of  a  man.  The 
world  is  given  over  to  selfishness.  "  Each  for  himself"  is 
the  prevailing  rule. 

"  Alas  !  for  the  rarity 
Of  Christian  charity 
Under  the  sun." 

A  recent  traveler  tells  of  his  visit  to  an  oriental  hospital. 
It  was  horrible  to  hear  the  patients,  lying  on  their  rude 
mattresses,  mockingly  reproach  each  other  with  their  in- 
firmities. One  wasted  by  consumption  jeered  at  his  neigh- 
bor whose  limbs  were  swollen  with  dropsy.  One  whose 
face  was  eaten  away  with  cancer  laughed  hideously  at 
another  who  was  dying  with  lock-jaw.  At  length  a  de- 
lirious fever-patient  sprang  from  his  couch  and  ran  about, 
tearing  away  the  coverings  from  his  companions  and  lay- 
ing bare  their  ghastly  miseries.  This  is  the  spirit  of  the 
world. 

But  into  this  hospital  of  the  world  came  the  Lord 
Jesus  with  his  golden  rule.  "  Love  one  another,"  said  he. 
"  Speak  the  sympathizing  word  ;  stretch  forth  the  helpful 
hand ;  bear  ye  one  another's  burdens ;  whatsoever  ye 
would  that  others  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so 
unto  them."  We  are  the  followers  of  Jesus  Christ.  His 
business  is  our  business.     His  spirit  also  should  be  ours. 

There  are  three  motives  to  beneficence.  Let  us  begin 
with  the  lov/est. 

I.  Self-interest.  We  seek  our  own  salvation.  This 
is  chronologically  the  first  of  Christian  motives,  but  logi- 
cally the  last.  How  shall  we  get  salvation  ?  It  is  com- 
pletely done  in  one  act  of  self-surrender.  That  being 
attended  to,  why  should  we  continue  to  fret  ourselves 
about  it  ?     Why  shall  we  keep  on  singing, 


42  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

"  When  I  can  read  my  title  clear 
To  mansions  in  the  skies  "  ? 

The  best  "  assurance "  is  found  henceforth  not  in  any 
working  in  ourselves,  but  in  working  outwardly  for  the 
salvation  of  those  about  us. 

A  traveller  lost  on  the  bleak  western  prairie  felt  himself 
yielding  more  and  more  to  a  drowsiness  which  meant 
certain  death.  He  bravely  resisted,  struggled  on,  felt  his 
eyelids  closing  down,  his  limbs  growing  numb,  when  sud- 
denly he  stumbled  over  something  in  the  way.  It  was 
the  body  of  a  man.  Dead?  He  stooped  over  him. 
The  pulse  still  fluttered,  the  flesh  was  warm.  He  chafed 
him,  gathered  him  up  in  his  arms,  and,  seeing  a  light  in 
the  distance,  struggled  on  with  his  burden  toward  it.  He 
was  weary,  the  perspiration  stood  upon  his  face,  but  he 
must  hold  out.  It  meant  life  or  death.  At  length  he 
staggered  with  his  burden  across  the  threshold  of  a  farm- 
house. Saved  !  Saved  in  saving  the  other  man !  Ah, 
there  are  mukitudes  who  come  up  to  heaven's  gate  wea- 
ried in  like  service,  and  have  an  abundant  salvation  min- 
istered unto  them.  They  have  lived  in  self-forgetful  care 
of  others.  Think  you  the  good  Lord  would  let  them 
suffer  for  that  ? 

We  speak  of  happiness  as  the  highest  good.  But  who 
is  the  happy  man  ?  Is  it  he  who  gets  and  hoards  ?  Is  it 
he  who  most  pleases  self?  The  things  of  this  present  time 
all  perish  with  the  using.  Wealth  slips  like  gold  dust 
through  one's  fingers.  There  are  no  pockets  in  our 
shrouds. 

"  That  I  kept,  I  lost ; 
That  I  gave,  I  have." 

The  happiest  man  that  ever  lived  was  the  One  who  most 
forgot  himself,  who  ever  thought  of  others.     What  is  he 


THE   LEPERS    OF   SAMARIA.  43 

doing  at  Sychar  ?  A  woman  is  here  athirst  for  the  Hving 
water,  and  he  has  come  through  the  scorching  sun  to  give 
her  the  draught  which  alone  quenches  the  soul's  thirst. 
What  is  he  doing  at  Bethesda  ?  Here  are  the  lame,  the 
withered,  the  halt.  He  has  come  to  heal  them.  What  is 
he  doing  yonder  at  Gadara  beyond  the  lake  ?  A  maniac 
is  there  dwelling  among  the  tombs.  He  has  come  to  dis- 
possess him  of  the  evil  one.  So  he  journeys  hither  and 
yon  on  errands  of  mercy,  thinking  of  all  but  Jesus.  And 
why  does  he  now  climb  the  hill  with  this  weird  burden 
upon  him  ?  He  has  assumed  the  world's  sin  and  will  bear 
its  shame,  its  bondage,  and  its  penalty,  in  his  own  body 
on  the  tree.  Thus  he  empties  himself,  makes  himself  ot 
no  reputation,  forgets  himself  for  us.  Let  the  mind  which 
was  in  Christ  Jesus  be  also  in  you. 

II.  The  Commo7i  Weal.  This  is  a  higher  motive  than 
self-interest.  The  world's  aphorism  is,  "  Look  out  for 
number  one."  But  the  Christian  spirit  makes  greater  ac- 
count of  number  two.  It  teaches  us  to  be  neighbor  to 
every  man. 

A  ship  was  out  upon  the  open  sea.  The  captain 
through  his  glass  spied  in  the  distance  what  seemed  to  be 
a  floating  hulk.  Then  he  descried  a  signal  of  distress. 
The  life-boat  was  manned  and  sent  forth.  The  rescuers 
reached  the  hulk,  cHmbed  up,  found  sailors  lying  dead 
here  and  there  upon  its  deck.  Yonder,  in  the  shelter  of  a 
torn  sail,  lay  one  in  whom  life  still  lingered.  They  lifted 
him  and  let  him  down  gently  into  their  boat.  As  they 
were  about  to  row  away  he  opened  his  eyes  and  struggled 
to  speak.  He  could  but  faintly  whisper.  This  was  what 
he  said  :  "  Do  n't  go ;  there  is  another  man  !"  They  went 
back  and  found  the  other  man.  Oh,  this  is  the  best  im- 
pulse of  sanctified  human  nature — to  rescue  the  other  man ! 


44  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

It  is  said  of  Jesus  that  he  had  compassion  upon  the 
multitude.  He  saw  them  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd 
and  pitied  them.  They  were  a-hungered.  He  bade  them 
sit  down  in  ranks  upon  the  green  sward.  Then  he  multi- 
plied the  loaves  and — supplied  their  need  ?  No.  He  dis- 
tributed the  loaves  among  his  disciples,  and  said,  **  Give 
ye  them  to  eat."  This  injunction  comes  to  us.  If  God 
has  bestowed  his  rich  blessing  upon  us,  is  it  not  a  shame- 
ful thing  to  keep  it  to  ourselves?  It  does  not  impoverish 
us  to  give  nor  enrich  us  to  withhold.  There  is  enough 
for  all.  Therefore,  "  to  do  good  and  to  communicate  for- 
get not."  Let  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus  be  also 
in  us. 

III.  The  Divme  Glory.  This  is  the  highest  motive 
of  all.  The  chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify  God.  In  the 
Brahman  religion  the  highest  degree  of  virtue  is  Apa- 
varga,  that  is,  "to  be  swallowed  up  in  Brahm."  The 
devotee  sits  all  day  long,  indifferent  to  the  world  about 
him,  lost  in  meditation.  Ask  him  what  he  is  doing.  He 
will  tell  you  that  he  is  sinking  his  personality  in  the  Inef- 
fable One.  There  is  beneath  this  pagan  conception  a 
glorious  truth.  The  highest  attainment  possible  to  a  hu- 
man soul  is  to  lose  itself  in  God ;  not  in  any  pantheistic 
surrender  of  personality,  not  in  any  subjective  process  of 
sentimental  reflection,  but  in  the  complete  blending  of  the 
human  with  the  divine  will,  and  an  entire  surrender  of 
personal  ambition  to  the  divine  purpose.  This  is  to  es- 
teem God's  glory  above  all  individual  good,  and  herein 
lies  the  chief  end  of  man. 

We  are  to  glorify  God.  But  liow  ?  We  cannot  help 
him  in  the  administration  of  universal  affairs.  We  can- 
not assist  him  to  roll  the  stars  around  their  orbits.  Nor 
will    it    glorify  him     merely   to    live  in  the   perfunctory 


THE   LEPERS   OF   SAMARIA.  45 

discharge  of  duty.  To  pay  one's  debts  and  speak  the 
truth  and  obey  the  civil  law  is  better  than  the  contrary ; 
but  the  Lord  pity  the  man  who  is  no  better  than  the 
law  makes  him  ! 

God  is  doing  a  great  work.  He  is  delivering  this 
world  from  sin.  It  has  been  going  on  for  centuries.  The 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  said,  "  My  Father  worketh  hitherto, 
and  I  work."  To  this  work  all  earnest  men  are  called.  In 
this  we  are  to  be  "  laborers  together  with  God."  And  here- 
in shall  we  glorify  him.  To  make  the  world  better,  to 
sweeten  and  brighten  the  lives  of  those  about  us,  is  to  glo- 
rify him. 

It  has  pleased  God  to  identify  himself  with  the  interests 
of  the  poor  and  suffering.  A  Russian  legend  tells  of  a  poor 
serf  who  on  a  bitter  night  passed  a  soldier  on  guard 
whose  teeth  were  chattering  with  cold.  "  Man,"  said  he, 
"  you  shiver,  you  are  freezing  :  take  my  coat,"  and  there- 
with he  threw  his  greatcoat  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  sen- 
try and  passed  on.  Long  after,  the  serf  came  up  to  hea- 
ven's gate.  He  looked  to  see  his  Lord  clad  in  royal  garb. 
He  found  him  at  last,  but  not  robed'in  splendid  garments  as 
he  had  expected.  "  Master,"  he  said,  "  thou  wearest  my 
coat."  "  Aye,"  said  Jesus,  "  I  have  worn  it  eversince  thou 
gavest  it  me  that  cold  night."  There  is  truth  in  this 
legend  ;  for  did  not  the  Master  himself  say,  "  Inasmuch  as 
ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  breth- 
ren, ye  have  done  it  unto  me?" 

We  have  a  warm  place  in  our  hearts  for  the  leper  of 
Samaria  who  led  his  brethren  towards  the  gates  of  the 
starving  city.  They  called  to  the  porter,  "  The  Syrians 
have  fled ;  there  is  food  enough  and  to  spare."  The  por- 
ter called  to  the  watchman  within.  A  little  later  the  peo- 
ple came   crowding   through   the   gates.     Men   nigh   to 


46  THE   RELIGION  OF  THE   FUTURE. 

famishing ;  mothers  with  their  pale  -  faced  children  in 
their  arms.  Oh,  that  was  a  great  day  for  Samaria  !  Were 
they  happy,  think  you,  who  were  thus  delivered  from 
death?  Were  they  happy  to  be  saved  from  the  un- 
speakable pains  of  starvation  ?  But  off  on  yonder  hillside 
stood  four  men,  their  fingers  upon  their  lips,  crying,  "  Un- 
clean !  Unclean  !"  who  dared  not  mingle  with  the  multi- 
tude. Wretched  outcasts  ! — yet  in  all  Samaria  none  were 
happier  than  they.  For  deep  down  in  their  hearts  they 
felt  the  profoundest  of  all  pleasures,  the  "  generous  pleas- 
ure of  a  kindly  deed." 

The  Lord  has  done  great  things  for  us.  We  have  the 
Bible — the  dear  old-fashioned  book.  Qh,  let  us  give  its 
glorious  truth  to  the  world  that  famishes  for  the  want  of 
it !  We  have  the  good  news  of  salvation.  The  light  of  the 
cross  streams  over  us.  Let  us  run  with  the  message 
to  those  who  are  still  in  the  shadow  of  death.  The  hope 
of  heaven  is  ours.  The  call  to  the  marriage  supper  falls 
upon  our  ears.  Up  yonder  in  our  Father's  house  there  is 
plenty  and  to  spare.  Go  ye,  beloved !  Go  out  into  the 
highways  and  hedges.  Go  down  into  the  slums.  Go — 
which  is  often  harder — to  your  friends  and  neighbors. 
Tell  them  that  the  siege  is  lifted.  Tell  them  that  the 
drought  is  passed  and  the  dew  and  rain  are  faUing  down 
from  heaven.  Oh,  let  us  not  come  alone  to  the  King's 
gate  !  The  grapes  and  the  pomegranates,  the  sacramen- 
tal bread  and  wine  upon  the  heavenly  tables,  are  enough 
for  all.  Let  us  bring  others  with  us  to  share  the  delights 
of  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb. 


NO    EXCUSE   FOR   UNBELIEF.  47 


NO  EXCUSE  FOR  UNBELIEF. 


'*  If  they  hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  per- 
suaded, though  one  rose  from  the  dead."      Luke  16:31. 

In  one  of  the  cities  of  Cesarea-Philippi  there  were  six 
brothers,  well-to-do  gentlemen — eminently  respectable 
men.  They  attended  to  their  own  affairs.  They  paid 
their  debts,  obeyed  the  laws,  and  dealt  justly  with  their 
fellow-men.  This  was  the  sum  total  of  duty  as  they  ap- 
prehended it.  As  to  spiritual  things  they  were  non-com- 
mittal. They  said,  "  You  tell  us  about  God  and  immor- 
tality and  righteousness  and  judgment  to  come.  There 
may  be  something  in  these  things,  but  we  have  no  means 
of  knowing  it.  There  are  some  things  that  we  can  see  and 
handle  with  our  hands.  We  are  living  in  a  world  of  actual 
toil  and  struggle.  Things  that  pertain  to  this  present 
world  are  real  and  tangible ;  they  He  within  the  reach  of 
our  finger  tips.  As  to  things  invisible  we  know  nothing ; 
let  them  pass."  So  they  took  no  interest  in  God  or  reU- 
gion,  but  lived  purely  sordid  lives.  That  was  the  worst 
that  could  be  said  about  them.  They  were  not  thieves, 
murderers,  or  adulterers,  but  just  worldlings,  that  was  all. 

In  course  of  time  it  happened  that  one  of  these  brothers 
died — died,  and  "went  to  his  own  place."  Of  course  he 
went  to  his  own  place.  At  death  every  one  goes  to  his 
own  place.  That  is,  to  the  place  for  which  his  manner  of 
life  has  fitted  him.  So  it  is  written,  "  In  hell  he  lifted  up 
his  eyes,  being  in  torment."  His  tongue  was  parched  with 
an  unquenchable  thirst — a  spiritual  thirst;  a  vain   long- 


48  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

ing  for  possibilities  forever  gone  by.  He  suffered  like 
Tantalus,  who  stood  to  his  lips  in  clear  water,  which  re- 
ceded whenever  he  sought  to  drink.  The  glories  of  hea- 
ven were  in  view,  but  he  was  shut  out.  He  had  chosen 
to  turn  his  back  on  spiritual  verities  and  now  he  was  exiled 
from  God.  And  "  there  was  a  great  gulf  fixed  " — an  eter- 
nal, bridgeless  gulf  By  reason  of  the  fixity  of  his  character 
he  could  never  cross  it.  The  "  eternal  hope  "  is  a  delusion 
and  a  snare ;  there  is  neither  Scripture  nor  reason  for  it. 
Death  had  sealed  the  rich  man's  choice.  He  was  in  his 
own  place.  He  had  no  part  in  heaven,  no  fitness  for  it. 
In  his  interview  with  Abraham,  of  which  Jesus  tells, 
this  lost  man  makes  a  curious  request :  "  I  pray  thee, 
therefore,  father,  that  thou  wouldst  send  and  admonish 
my  five  brethren,  lest  they  also  come  into  this  place." 
Here  is  an  implication  that  he,  himself,  had  not  been  fairly 
treated.  Had  he  known  the  dreadful  outcome  he  would 
never  have  passed  his  life  in  the  pursuit  of  sordid  things. 
He  would  have  his  brothers  warned  in  time.  The  reply 
is :  "  It  would  be  in  vain.  They  have  Moses  and  the  proph- 
ets ;  if  they  hear  not  them  neither  will  they  be  persuaded 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead."  For  an  angel  to  bear  a 
message  of  warning  or  of  invitation  to  those  five  busy 
worldhngs  would  be  indeed  love's  labor  lost.  Did  they 
not  reject  the  supernatural  ?  Would  they  not  have  pro- 
nounced the  angelic  visit  an  imposture,  an  hallucination  ? 
Nor  was  there  any  common  vocabulary  by  which  this 
angel  could  have  communicated  with  them.  How  difficult 
it  is  to  express  a  spiritual  fact  in  carnal  terminology. 
Our  Lord  himself  found  it  no  easy  matter.  He  defined 
God  as  a  Spirit ;  but  what  is  spirit  ?  He  could  but  speak 
of  heaven  as  a  house  of  many  mansions,  our  eyes  are  so 
heavy,  our  ears  so  dull  to  spiritual  things.     And  what 


NO   EXCUSE   FOR   UNBELIEF.  49 

indeed  could  a  celestial  messenger  say  to  these  men? 
"  Your  brother  is  in  hell  and  Lazarus  in  the  realms  of 
endless  joy."  Would  they  have  believed  that,  think 
you  ?  Would  they  not  have  said,  "  What  ?  Our  respected 
brother  Dives  lost,  and  Lazarus,  that  miserable  beggar,  in 
heaven  ?     Nay,  we  believe  not  a  word  of  it." 

Here  is  our  proposition.  There  is  no  excuse  for  un- 
belief. Every  man  has  a  fair  chance.  The  evidence  is 
sufficient.  If  we  believe  not  Moses  and  the  prophets 
there  is  nothing  in  heaven  or  in  earth  that  could  convince 
us. 

L  Here  is  a  reference  to  Moses  and  the  prophets  in 
the  Book.  The  Jews  were  accustomed  to  characterize  the 
Scriptures  in  that  way.  "Moses  and  the  prophets" 
meant  the  Old  Testament,  which  comprised  the  Scriptures 
of  those  days.  In  them  they  had  a  sufficient  rule  of  faith 
and  practice,  a  setting  forth  of  all  the  important  truths 
touching  the  endless  life. 

It  was  an  imposing  procession  that  passed  before  them, 
clothed  in  priestly  and  prophetic  garb.  There  was  Moses 
bearing  the  Tables  of  the  Law  and  chanting  his  psalm  of 
eternity,  "  Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all 
generations.  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 
or  ever  thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even 
from  everlasting  to  everlasting,  thou  art  God."  Then 
came  a  ruddy  youth,  his  locks  glistening  with  the  dews  of 
the  morning,  harp  in  hand,  singing,  "  The  Lord  is  my 
shepherd,  I  shall  not  want."  Then  a  seer  with  eyes 
aflame  foreteUing  the  advent  of  the  Mighty  One :  "  A 
virgin  shall  conceive  and  bear  a  son,  and  call  his  name  Im- 
manuel,  that  is,  God  with  us.  He  shall  be  wounded 
for  our  transgressions  and  bruised  for  our  iniquities,  and 
by  his  stripes  we  shall  be  healed." 
4 


50  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

But  we  have  more.  If  the  hght  of  Israel  was  deemed 
sufficient,  how  much  more  the  glorious  light  of  these  days. 
The  New  Testament  is  ours.  Not  only  Moses  and  the 
prophets  walk  before  us,  but  the  sons  of  the  Evangel. 
Here  are  Matthew  and  Mark  and  Luke  telling  the 
old,  old  story  of  the  manger,  of  the  cross,  and  of  the 
open  sepulchre,  with  life  and  immortality  brought  to  light. 
Here  is  the  man  of  rock  uttering  his  good  confession, 
"  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  hving  God."  Here 
is  the  htde  Jew  of  Tarsus  hurling  forth  his  challenge, 
"  Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ? 
It  is  God  that  justifieth.  Who  is  he  that  condemneth  ? 
It  is  Christ  that  died."  Here  is  the  aged  dreamer  telling 
us  of  heaven's  gates  wide  open,  and  closing  the  Book 
with  a  voice  of  universal  invitation  :  "  And  the  Spirit  and 
the  bride  say.  Come.  And  let  him  that  heareth  say. 
Come.  And  let  him  that  is  athirst  come;  and  whoso- 
ever will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely."  The 
Book  is  closed  and  sealed  with  a  Fmis.  Moses  and  the 
prophets,  the  apostles  and  the  evangelists  all  have  spoken. 
The  sublime  verities  have  been  emphasized ;  the  great 
problems  have  been  cleared  up.  If  we  hear  them  not, 
what  shall  persuade  us  ? 

We  live  in  the  age  of  the  open  Bible.  Its  leaves  are 
scattered  abroad  like  the  falling  leaves  of  the  tree  of  life. 
When  Tyndale  was  at  Oxford  he  came  upon  a  copy  of 
the  Erasmus  Bible.  A  great  resolution  was  formed 
within  him.  "  If  God  spare  my  life,"  said  he,  "  I  will  put 
this  book  into  our  vernacular  ere  many  years ;  I  will 
cause  that  the  husbandman  shall  sing  the  songs  of  Zion 
as  he  follows  his  plow  ;  that  the  weaver  at  his  loom  shall 
utter  forth  the  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises 
while  he  flings  the  shuttle.     Aye,  the  time  shall  presently 


NO   EXCUSE   FOR   UNBELIEF.  5 1 

come  when  Turks  and  pagans  shall  read  the  gracious 
truth."  That  time  has  come.  The  word  is  scattered 
abroad.  The  poorest  and  humblest  may  search  it.  This 
is  enough ;  God  is  absolved.  If  we  perish  it  is  not  his 
fault.  What  more  could  he  have  done  for  his  vineyard 
that  he  hath  not  done  in  it  ? 

II.  A  further  reference  is  made  to  Moses  and  the 
prophets  in  history.  The  Israelites  saw  the  great  law- 
giver, on  that  awful  night  of  Nisan  14th,  leading  forth  a 
vast  rabble  of  two  million  souls  into  the  wilderness.  They 
saw  his  lifted  rod  divide  the  waters  of  the  sea,  and  heard 
the  song  of  Miriam  and  her  daughters  upon  the  further 
shore,  "  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath  triumphed  glori- 
ously ;  the  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the 
sea."  They  saw  that  multitude  .halt  under  the  shadow 
of  Sinai  to  receive  the  decalogue  which  was  to  be  the 
constitution  of  the  theocratic  nation,  and  followed  them 
during  the  long  journey  through  the  wilderness,  until 
at  length,  by  a  continuous  miracle  of  special  provi- 
dence, they  entered  the  promised  land.  In  that  Htde 
strip  of  territory,  in  a  remote  and  inconspicuous  province 
of  the  world,  for  centuries  the  Lord  had  watched  over 
this  people  with  a  peculiar  care  and  protected  them. 
From  the  battle-field  of  Esdraelon  had  fallen  upon  their 
ears  the  cry,  "  The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Gideon  !" 
The  sun  had  stood  still  on  Ajalon  and  the  moon  over 
the  heights  of  Gibeon  in  their  behalf.  "  O  my  soul," 
rang  out  the  voice  of  Deborah,  "  thou  hast  trodden  down 
strength !  So  let  all  thine  enemies  perish,  O  Lord  ;  but 
let  them  that  love  thee  be  as  the  sun  going  forth  in  his 
strength."  Those  fifteen  centuries  of  glorious  provi- 
dence under  the  administration  of  Moses  and  the  proph- 
ets were  before  them.     The  irrefutable  testimony  of  his- 


52  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

tory  was  theirs.  Had  they  not  abundant  reason  to  be- 
lieve in  the  power  and  goodness  of  the  Hving  God  ? 

But  in  our  case  the  evidence  is  incomparably 
stronger.  God  has  been  working,  not  in  Palestine  alone, 
but  in  the  wide  world.  The  horizons  have  been  pushed 
back  and  we  have  seen  Moses  and  the  prophets  re-in- 
forced  by  the  noble  army  of  apostles  and  martyrs,  and 
the  goodly  fellowship  of  evangelists  bearing  the  oracles 
of  truth  and  righteousness  through  all  lands  and  over  all 
seas.  It  was  a  little  band  of  eleven  men  who  came  down 
out  of  the  upper  chamber  to  universal  conquest.  At 
Olivet  they  were  one  hundred  and  twenty  in  number 
when  they  saw  the  Lord  ascending  through  the  clouds 
that  opened  to  receive  him.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost 
about  three  thousand  were  added  unto  their  number. 
At  the  end  of  the  first  century  there  were  half  a  million ; 
at  the  end  of  the  fifth  century  there  were  one  hundred 
millions,  and  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  there 
were  two  hundred  millions,  and  now,  with  a  decade  of 
the  nineteenth  century  still  to  spare,  there  are  above 
four  hundred  millions  of  people  who  glory  in  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ.  The  Lord  has  been  doing  great  things. 
The  Christian  era  is  a  long  record  of  miracles.  Moses 
and  the  prophets,  the  apostles  and  evangelists,  have  been 
working  wonders  in  his  name,  and  still  the  royal  stand- 
ards onward  go. 

In  prophecy  the  gospel  of  the  great  propaganda  is 
likened  to  the  waters  of  the  sea.  The  ocean  washes  every 
shore.  It  rolls  through  all  the  bays  and  estuaries,  pushes 
its  way  along  the  rivers,  and  creeps  up  the  rippling 
brooks  to  the  very  springs  upon  the  mountain  tops.  It 
floats  in  the  fleecy  clouds  above  us  ;  it  rises  in  vapors 
that  hang  about  our  doorways.      It  is    diffusive,  omni- 


NO   EXCUSE   FOR  UNBELIEF.  53 

present,  irresistible.  So  is  the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
blessed  God.  There  is  nothing  hid  from  the  power  there- 
of. The  time  is  coming  when  its  glory  shall  cover  the 
earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 

To  a  thoughtful  mind  this  voice  of  history  is  conclu- 
sive. If  Moses  and  the  prophets  in  the  story  of  the  Exo- 
dus and  in  the  chronicles  of  the  little  land  that  flowed  with 
milk  and  honey  were  sufficient  for  Israel,  what  tremendous 
logic  there  is  in  the  culminative  triumph  of  our  religion 
through  these  successive  centuries.  Hume  and  Gibbon 
were  not  insensible  to  this  argument,  and,  unbelievers  as 
they  were,  they  confessed  the  presence  of  an  inexplicable 
power  in  the  propagation  of  the  religion  of  the  true 
God. 

III.  We  note  here  a  further  reference  to  the  truth  as 
represented  by  Moses  and  the  prophets  in  personal  expe- 
rience. When  Pascal  was  wearied  with  his  investigation 
of  external  evidences,  which  at  best  could  estabHsh  only  a 
probability  of  truth  in  no  wise  amounting  to  mathematical 
certainty,  he  submitted  the  doctrine  to  his  own  inward 
nature,  and,  as  he  says,  "found  there  a  response  so 
prompt  and  eager  that  he  could  no  more  doubt  than  he 
could  doubt  his  own  existence."  As  time  passed  on  this 
evidence  became  more  and  m.ore  assuring,  until,  when  he 
lay  dying,  Pascal  was  moved  to  say,  "  The  truth  is  clear 
as  day." 

There  is  indeed  a  quick  response  within  us  to  the 
address  of  truth.  The  spirit  of  man  is  the  candle  of  the 
Lord.  A  boy  sick  in  the  hospital,  unconscious  to  all 
other  impressions,  will  open  his  eyes  and  smile  under  his 
mother's  touch.  In  like  manner  the  soul  is  thrilled,  con- 
victed, satisfied,  when  God  addresses  himself,  through 
conscience,  to  the  inner  man. 


54  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

The  proof  furnished  in  our  personal  experience  is 
twofold. 

1.  The  truth  has  power  to  save.  There  is  many  a 
man  to  whom  theology  is  an  unknown  term  who  knows 
the  truth  of  the  gospel  by  reason  of  its  power  to  save ; 
whose  entire  creed  is  in  his  grateful  song,  *'  This  poor 
man  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard  him  and  saved  him  out  ol 
all  his  trouble."  They  tell  of  a  king  in  the  olden  time 
who,  being  sick  unto  death  and  finding  all  remedies  una- 
vailing, bade  his  servants  lay  him  down  upon  an  effigy  of 
the  cross.  No  sooner  did  his  wasted  frame  touch  it  than, 
quickened  with  new  life,  he  cried,  "  It  lifts  me  up  !  It  lifts 
me  up  !"  So  many  a  sin-sick  soul  has  hailed  with  joy  the 
healing  cross  of  Jesus,  the  Bearer  of  the  world's  sin,  and 
your  sin  and  mine. 

2.  The  truth  not  only  saves ;  it  edifies  as  well.  The 
word  "  edification  "  means  "  temple-building."  The  truth 
is  supremely  helpful  in  the  building  of  character.  It  en- 
ables us  to  rend  the  fetters  of  vicious  habits. 

"  It  breaks  the  power  of  reigning  sin 
And  sets  the  prisoner  free." 

It  fixes  our  eyes  upon  the  Ideal  Man  and  bids  us  be  ever 
more  like  him.  Its  injunction  is  "  Add.  "  "  Add  to  your 
faith  virtue ;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge ;  and  to  knowl- 
edge, temperance;  and  to  temperance,  patience;  and  to 
patience,  godhness ;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kindness ; 
and  to  brotherly  kindness,  charity.  For  if  these  things 
be  in  you,  and  abound,  they  make  you  that  ye  shall  nei- 
ther be  barren  nor  unfruitful  in  the  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

This  evidence  of  personal  experience  we  hold  in  com- 
mon with  the  children  of  Israel.     The  law,  as  set  forth  by 


NO   EXCUSE   FOR   UNBELIEF.  55 

Moses  at  Sinai  and  by  the  greater  than  Moses  on  the 
mountain  in  Galilee — the  gospel,  as  foretold  in  the  proph- 
ets and  fulfilled  in  the  Evangel — have  been  saving  and 
gladdening  and  upbuilding  and  energizing  men  from  the 
beginning  until  now. 

Thus  we  conclude  there  is  no  excuse  for  unbelief. 
There  is  proof  enough  of  the  reality  of  the  great  doc- 
trines which  centre  in  Christ.  It  is  the  will,  not  the  rea- 
son, that  rejects  them.  "  O  Jerusalem,  how  often  would 
I  have  gathered  you,"  lamented  the  Master,  "  as  a  hen 
doth  gather  her  brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would 
not."  We  speak  of  our  skepticism  as  "  honest  doubt," 
but  therein  do  we  protest  too  much.  To  deny  the  shining 
of  the  sun  at  high  noon  is  not  "honest  doubt;"  it  is 
fatuity.  O  ye  of  little  faith,  wherefore  do  ye  doubt? 
Moses  and  the  prophets  set  forth  the  truth  with  convin- 
cing power.  The  Book,  all  History,  and  the  voice  of 
Conscience  and  Experience  speak  with  convincing  power. 
Be  ye  not  faithless,  therefore,  but  believing. 

We  flatter  ourselves  that  we  wait  for  further  evidence. 
Nay,  rather  we  need  a  changed  heart  —  a  heart  made 
willing  to  receive  the  truth.  Stronger  evidence  will 
never  be  forthcoming.  **  Say  not,  '  Who  shall  ascend 
into  heaven?'  (that  is,  to  bring  Christ  down  from  above:) 
or,  *  Who  shall  descend  into  the  deep  ?'  (that  is,  to  bring 
up  Christ  again  from  the  dead.)  For  lo,  the  word  is 
nigh  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth,  and  in  thy  heart ;  to  wit, 
that  if  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  has  raised  him 
from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved." 


56  THE   RELIGION  OF  THE  FUTURE. 


THE  CHURCH  AND  THE  SALOON. 


"  For  what  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with  unrighteousness?  and 
what  communion  hath  light  with  darkness?  and  what  concord 
hath  Christ  with  Belial?"     2  Cor.  6:14,  15. 

The  temperance  reform  in  this  country  is  not  a  cen- 
tury old.  In  the  year  1825  the  use  of  distilled  spirits  had 
reached  the  enormous  amount  of  seven  and  one-half  gal- 
lons per  capita.  The  thinking  people  were  alarmed. 
Something  must  be  done.  The  starting  point  was  total 
abstinence  on  the  part  of  the  disciples  of  Christ.  The 
term  "  moral  suasion  "  came  into  use.  As  yet  there  was 
no  suggestion  of  legal  repression  of  the  traffic  in  intoxi- 
cating drink.  The  progress  of  temperance  reform  since 
those  days  is  obvious  from  the  fact  that  the  use  of  distilled 
spirits  is  now  less  than  two  gallons  per  capita.  The  in- 
troduction of  malt  liquors  must  be  taken  into  the  account. 
Nevertheless  we  have  reason  to  thank  God  and  take 
courage. 

At  this  moment  the  question  touches  the  relation  of 
the  church  to  the  saloon.  Here  are  two  tremendous 
forces  :  one  for  evil,  the  other  for  good. 

I.  As  to  the  Church.  What  is  it?  The  word  is 
ekklesia;  that  is,  "called  out."  The  church  is  an  asso- 
ciation of  persons  called  out  of  the  world  to  perform  a 
definite  service  for  God. 

I.  It  is  not  a  holy  club.  There  are  those  who  suppose 
the  church  to  be  a  select  company  of  saints  who  withdraw 
their  garments  as  they  pass,  saying,  "  Stand  aside,  for  I 


THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   SALOON.  57 

am  holier  than  thou."      Not  so ;  the  members  of  Christ's 
church  are  sinners — sinners  saved  by  grace. 

2.  It  is  not  a  social  coterie.  True,  the  best  people  are 
here,  the  real  aristoi;  not  esteeming  themselves  to  be 
good,  but  desiring  to  be  so.  It  is  a  glorious  fellowship. 
It  is  an  inestimable  privilege  to  be  admitted  to  it.  But 
the  social  advantages  of  the  church  are  merely  incidental 
to  its  prime  purpose. 

3.  It  is  not  a  company  of  truth  seekers.  We  are  not 
seeking  truth  ;  we  have  found  it.  The  Bible  contains  the 
sum  and  substance  of  all  truth  respecting  the  spiritual  life. 
To  understand  the  Bible  is  the  end  of  our  desire.  Our 
creeds  are  valueless  save  as  they  are  faithful  statements  of 
the  contents  of  Holy  Writ. 

4.  It  is  not  an  ethical  society.  We  are  not  casting 
about  for  a  system  of  morals.  Our  moral  code  is  in  the 
Bible.  Our  ambition  is  to  adjust  our  Hves  to  that  as  the 
summary  of  duty. 

5.  The  church  is  a  great  living  organism  through 
which  God  is  working  for  the  tearing  down  of  evil  and 
the  building  up  of  truth  and  righteousness  on  earth.  The 
emblem  of  our  service  is  the  sword  and  trowel.  What  is 
the  sword  for  ?  To  make  war  on  iniquity.  The  follow- 
ers of  Christ  are  not  at  liberty  to  enter  into  complicity 
with  any  form  of  ill-doing  whatsoever.  Cut  it  down  ; 
overthrow  it!  Our  Master  came  into  the  world  to  destroy 
the  works  of  the  devil,  and  we  are  to  follow  him.  What 
is  the  trowel  for  ?  To  build  up  all  forms  of  goodness  on 
earth ;  to  lay  grace  upon  grace,  as  the  mason  lays  stone 
upon  stone,  until  our  world  shall  be  a  temple  fit  for  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  dwell  in.  Thus  with  sword  and  trowel  we 
clear  the  way  and  rear  the  fabric  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

II.  As   to   the   saloon.      What   is   it?      A   definition 


58  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

must  be  an  indictment.  It  is  the  focal  expression  of 
almost  everything  evil.  It  is  an  enemy  of  man.  It  bloats 
his  visage,  reddens  his  eyes,  seethes  his  flesh,  and  makes 
a  cesspool  and  common  sewer  of  the  body  which  was  in- 
tended to  be  a  temple  of  the  living  God.  It  corrupts  his 
heart,  enfeebles  his  will,  paralyzes  his  conscience,  and 
sends  him  reeHng  out  into  the  darkness,  from  which  a 
voice  returns,  "  No  drunkard  shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God."  It  is  the  enemy  of  the  home.  It  puts  out  the  fire 
upon  the  hearth ;  it  empties  the  barrel  and  the  cruse ;  it 
transforms  the  natural  protector  of  the  family  into  a  fiend 
incarnate,  clothes  the  wife  in  rags,  and  dooms  the  innocent 
children  to  suflfering  and  shame.  It  is  the  worst  enemy 
of  the  State.  On  last  election  day  I  took  occasion  to  make 
the  round  of  the  polling-places  in  the  lower  part  of  New 
York  city.  I  saw  scores  of  sovereign  citizens  staggering 
to  the  ballot-box.  The  saloons  were  open  and  thronged 
to  the  doors.  Here  is  the  Gibraltar  of  evil  politics.  Here 
the  repeaters  and  thugs  congregate.  Here  is  the  market 
of  the  purchasable  vote.  Here  is  the  last  ditch  of  mis- 
rule. We  talk  of  municipal  reform ;  there  can  be  no  mu- 
nicipal reform  until  we  are  prepared  to  deal  summarily 
with  the  dram-shop,  which  is  the  most  portentous  menace 
of  civil  government.  If  our  republic  shall  ever  join  the 
long  procession  of  nations  whose  ruins  line  the  path  of 
history  it  will  be  under  the  intolerable  burden  of  those 
evils  which  are  attributable  to  intoxicating  drink.  The 
saloon  is,  furthermore,  the  direst  eyiemy  of  the  church.  It 
builds  up  an  impassable  wall  between  the  soul  and  Cal- 
vary ;  it  engenders  a  bitter  hatred  for  the  things  that  are 
true  and  lovely  and  of  good  report ;  it  bars  the  way  to 
the  sanctuary  and  heaven  like  the  red  dragon  that  guard- 
ed the  gates  of  the  Hesperides. 


THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   SALOON.  59 

Are  there  witnesses  to  verify  this  indictment  ?  Aye, 
thousands  of  them  reeling  about  our  streets.  See  them 
issuing  from  the  dram-shop ;  mark  their  flushed  faces  ; 
their  shuffling  gait ;  see  them  as  they  pass  by  hiccough- 
ing down  to  death.  Here  are  young  men,  honest  toilers, 
men  of  the  learned  professions,  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men  ;  every  one  of  them  made  in  the  divine  likeness ; 
every  one  of  them  hastening  towards  eternity.  What 
wreck  and  ruin  have  here  been  wrought !  It  is  related  that 
once  in  a  certain  town  in  Kentucky  the  grandson  of  the 
statesman  Henry  Clay  lay  dying  of  a  wound  received  in 
a  drunken  brawl,  while  at  the  same  time  the  grandson  of 
John  J.  Crittenden  was  wrestling  with  delirium  tremens y 
and  the  grandson  of  Patrick  Henry  was  serving  out  a 
term  of  imprisonment  for  attempted  murder  —  the  re- 
sult likewise  of  drink. 

Are  more  witnesses  needed  ?  Let  the  wives  and  chil- 
dren of  this  drunken  multitude  pass  by.  Oh,  these  sad- 
eyed,  pale-faced  women !  God  pity  the  drunkard's  wife, 
and  his  little  children,  ill-clothed  and  hungry,  shrinking 
from  the  pointed  finger  and  the  taunt,  "  A  drunkard's 
child."  There  are  many  millions  of  money  invested  in 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  intoxicating  Hquors,  but  if  a 
bill  for  damages  were  made  out  against  the  dram-shop 
for  the  havoc  it  has  wrought  among  these  women  and 
little  ones,  all  those  millions  would  be  exhausted  over  and 
over  again  to  pay  it. 

More  witnesses  still?  Let  us  stand  by  the  doorway  of 
one  of  our  multitudinous  dives  and  hear  the  laughter  of 
lost  womaiihood.  The  evils  which  are  wrought  in  this 
place  of  infamy  are  scarcely  to  be  spoken  of  in  this  pres- 
ence. But  inmates  and  patrons  alike  are  devotees  ol 
Bacchus.     We  shall  never  reach  the  social  evil  until  we 


6o  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

hurl  the  thunderbolts  of  outraged  sentiment  against  the 
dram-shop.  Out  of  the  doorway  of  this  den  of  infamy- 
comes  a  painted  thing  "whose  feet  take  hold  on  hell." 
On  either  side  she  is  supported  by  the  semblance  of  a 
man :  on  this  side  the  gambler,  on  that  the  dram -seller. 
Hither  they  come — the  three  horrors  of  our  civilization. 
Now  abide  these  three,  Gambling,  Licentiousness  and  In- 
ebriety ;  and  the  greatest  of  these  is  Inebriety,  for  it 
stands  behind  all. 

Is  more  evidence  needed  ?  Let  us  pass  through  the 
corridors  of  our  prisons.  Here  are  thieves,  murderers, 
and  wrong-doers  of  every  sort.  Chief  Justice  Coleridge 
says  more  than  eighty  per  cent,  of  all  these  commitments 
are  due  to  strong  drink.  A  while  ago  a  man  came  from 
the  saloon  to  his  home  and,  though  ordinarily  the  kindest 
of  husbands,  now,  beside  himself  with  drink,  struck  down 
the  wife  of  his  bosom  while  his  children  stood  sobbing 
and  cowering  before  him.  The  scr-eams  of  his  v/ife  brought 
the  police,  but  too  late.  He  was  dragged  to  prison  :  the 
next  morning  he  awoke  and  looked  about  him.  "  Where 
am  I  ?"  he  asked  of  the  guard  at  the  grating.  "In  jail." 
"In  jail!  What  for?"  "Murder."  A  moment  of  silent 
horror,  and  then  he  asked,  "  Does  my  wife  know  ?"  "  It 
was  your  wife  you  killed."  He  fell  in  a  swoon.  The 
constable  who  arrested  that  man  was  owner  of  the  saloon 
that  had  nerved  him  for  the  bloody  deed ;  the  judge  who 
sentenced  him  had  voted  to  license  it ;  and  the  jailer  who 
turned  the  key  upon  him  was  a  partner  in  the  concern. 
Is  it  not  a  dreadful  thing  that]  this  should  be  permitted  to 
go  on  ?  Put  one  of  our  daily  newspapers  in  evidence ; 
cast  your  eye  over  the  police  reports.  What  is  it  that 
nerves  men  for  deeds  of  shame  and  violence?  There 
are  criminals  of  many  sorts  and  degrees,  but  the  rum- 


THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   SALOON.  6l 

seller  is  the  criminal  of  all  criminals  ;  for  it  is  scarcely  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  simple  fact  to  say  that  he  is  the 
maker  of  them  all. 

Still  further.  Let  us  visit  our  insane  asylums.  See 
these  poor  demented  creatures,  driveling  idiots,  raving 
madmen.  It  was  long  ago  that  a  wise  student  of  human 
nature  exclaimed,  "  Alas,  that  men  should  put  an  enemy 
into  their  mouths  to  steal  away  their  brains  !"  It  is  stated 
that  seventy  per  cent,  of  the  inmates  of  our  lunatic 
asylums  have  dethroned  their  reason  by  inebriety  or  else 
are  paying  by  inheritance  the  penalty  of  parental  indul- 
gence. 

Or  pass  through  our  poor  houses.  Many  of  the  pau- 
pers are  old  before  their  time  ;  watery-eyed  and  decrepit 
through  drink.  The  vast  majority,  however,  are  women 
and  children  ;  the  wives  and  offspring  of  inebriates.  The 
majority  of  our  workingmen  are  accustomed  to  squander 
their  surplus  earnings  in  drink,  and  at  death  they  leave 
their  families  penniless  and  helpless.  What  then  ?  Over 
the  hills  to  the  poorhouse  ! 

Or  go  through  the  potter's  field.  Oh,  what  tragedies 
of  pain  and  sorrow  lie  hidden  under  these  mounds  !  Here 
are  men  who  struggled  vainly  in  the  grip  of  habit  and 
died  in  drunken  frenzy ;  here  are  wives  whose  life  was 
starved  and  beaten  out  of  them  until  they  were  laid  out 
for  their  burial  in  borrowed  shrouds  ;  here  are  little  chil- 
dren whose  fathers  were  so  impoverished  by  drink  that 
not  enough  was  left  to  purchase  a  meagre  four  feet  ol 
earth  to  lay  them  in.  One  of  these  days  the  trumpet  will 
sound  and  the  dead  will  come  forth  ;  out  of  the  potter's 
fields  of  the  earth  will  arise  a  multitude  that  no  man  can 
number,  who  will  point  to  the  rum-seller,  and  with  their 
flaming   eyes   and  indignant   appeals   will  scourge    him 


62  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

away  from  heaven's  gate  to  his  own  place.  For,  if  "  no 
drunkard  shall  inherit  the  kingdom,"  how  shall  the 
drunkard-maker  be  permitted  a  place  in  the  fellowship  of 
saints  and  the  presence  of  God  ? 

III.  Now  as  to  the  relation  of  the  church  to  the  saloon. 
We  have  seen  that  the  church  is  the  appointed  organism 
through  which  God  is  building  up  truth  and  goodness  on 
earth.  We  have  seen  that  the  saloon  is  the  practical  ex- 
pression of  nearly  all  that  is  iniquitous  among  men.  How 
shall  the  two  stand  in  relation  to  each  other  ?  Or  what  in 
these  premises  is  the  church  to  do  ? 

1.  It  can  choose  to  do  nothing.  It  can  supinely  fold 
its  hands  and  say,  "  The  saloon  has  come  to  stay."  God 
save  us  from  that  cowardly  sophism  !  Suppose  the  saloon 
has  come  to  stay ;  does  that  afford  us  reason  for  entering 
into  compUcity  with  it?  The  practice  of  idolatry  has 
come  to  stay ;  theft  has  come  to  stay ;  murder  has  come 
to  stay ;  adultery  has  come  to  stay ;  but  shall  we  on  that 
account  propose  a  revision  or  restatement  of  the  deca- 
logue? Shall  we  forbear  to  oppose  ourselves  against 
those  entrenched  evils  which  God  hates  and  his  people 
are  required  to  hate  as  well  ?  Our  Lord  Jesus  came  into 
the  world  "  to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil,"  not  to 
mourn  because  of  their  prevalence,  nor  to  make  com- 
promises with  them.  We  are  to  follow  Him.  Look  to 
your  marching  orders  !  The  time  will  come  when,  in  the 
clear  revealing  of  infinite  justice,  it  will  be  seen  that  no 
evil  thing  had  really  "  come  to  stay."  The  dram-shop 
with  all  other  kindred  iniquities  will  continue  only  until 
God's  people  shall  become  co-laborers  with  him  in  a  uni- 
ted effort  to  overthrow  it. 

2.  The  church  may  sanction  the  saloon — that  is,  license 
it.     The  word  license  is  from  the  Latin  licet^  which  in  the 


THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   SALOON.  63 

original  is  an  impersonal  verb  meaning  "  it  is  permitted  "  ; 
but  brought  over  into  the  English  tongue  it  becomes  in- 
tensely personal  and  means  "  I  permit  it."  And  that  is 
the  meaning  of  a  vote  for  license — *'  I  permit  it."  What 
is  it  that  we  permit  ?  The  dram-shop  is  authorized  to  do 
what? 

"Licensed  to  make  the  strong  man  weak, 
Licensed  to  lay  the  strong  man  low; 
Licensed  the  wife's  fond  heart  to  break, 
And  make  the  children's  tears  to  flow. 

"  Licensed  to  do  thy  neighbor  harm, 
Licensed  to  kindle  hate  and  strife ; 
Licensed  to  nerve  the  robber's  arm. 
Licensed  to  whet  the  murderer's  knife. 

"  Licensed  thy  neighbor's  purse  to  drain. 
And  rob  him  of  his  very  best ; 
Licensed  to  heat  his  feverish  brain, 
Till  madness  crown  thy  work  at  last. 

"Licensed,  like  spider  for  a  fly. 

To  spread  thy  nets  for  man,  thy  prey  ; 
To  mock  his  struggles,  suck  him  dry. 
Then  cast  the  shattered  hulk  away. 

"  Licensed,  where  peace  and  quiet  dwell 
To  bring  disease,  and  want,  and  woe; 
Licensed  to  make  this  world  a  hell, 
And  fit  man  for  a  hell  below." 

3.  The  church  may  undertake  to  sanctify  the  dram- 
shop— that  is,  throw  the  cloak  of  ecclesiastical  help  and 
comfort  over  it.  This  is  the  last  proposition  which,  in 
certain  ecclesiastical  quarters,  finds  favor.  It  is  incredible 
that  so  preposterous  a  thing  should  be  seriously  pro- 
posed. The  saloon  is  totally  bad  ;  it  has  done  evil  and 
only  evil  all  the  days  of  its  life.  If  the  roofs  were  lifted 
in  this  city  at  this  moment  we  should  see  scores  of  men, 


64  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

brutalized  by  drink,  with  their  arms  lifted  beating  their 
poor  wives  and  wailing  children ;  men  who  have  made 
their  homes  wretched  and  robbed  the  lives  of  those  whom 
God  and  nature  alike  have  obliged  them  to  protect,  of 
the  last  remnant  of  joy  and  peace.  It  is  now  seriously 
proposed  to  make  comfortable  quarters  for  those  drunken 
brutes :  to  strew  the  floor  of  the  dram-shop  with  fresh 
sawdust,  hang  elevating-  pictures  on  the  walls,  and  put 
pure  liquors  on  the  shelves.  In  God's  name,  if  the  church 
has  aught  of  treasure  or  of  sympathy  to  spare,  let  it  be 
lavished  on  the  drunkard's  victims,  on  his  poor  wife  and 
children,  and  let  the  brute  shift  for  himself 

Are  we,  then,  to  do  nothing  for  the  drunkard  ?  Oh, 
yes;  but  surely  not  in  such  a  manner  as  to  encourage 
him  in  his  bestial  vice.  We  may  help  him  by  legislating 
in  his  favor,  by  using  all  the  powers  of  holy  persuasion, 
and,  above  all  and  before  all,  by  personal  example  in  the 
matter  of  abstinence.  "  I  have  n't  the  heart,"  said  a  min- 
ister recently,  "  to  deny  the  poor  man  his  beer,  while  I 
lunch  with  my  Bishop  at  my  club."  What  then?  One 
of  two  inferences  should  follow.  Either  let  me  provide 
comfortable  quarters  where  the  poor  man  may  drink,  or 
else  (and  this  is  the  mind  of  the  self-denying  Christ)  let 
me  stop  drinking  with  my  Bishop  at  the  club.  If  wine 
make  my  brother  to  offend,  in  the  name  of  all  that  is 
good  and  gracious  and  Christlike,  let  me  drink  no  wine 
while  the  world  standeth. 

4.  There  is  but  one  other  attitude  which  the  church 
may  assume ;  namely,  it  may  antagonize  the  dram-shop 
to  the  uttermost.  War  to  the  knife  and  the  knife  to  the 
hilt !  No  quarter  !  There  are  thirty  continuous  miles  of 
saloons  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  every  red  light  that 
streams  from  them  marks  an  open  mouth  of  hell.     What 


THE   CHURCH   AND   THE   SALOON.  65 

can  the  church  do  but  antagonize  this  thing  ?  What  shall 
ministers  do  but  denounce  it?  If  the  trumpet  give  an 
uncertain  sound,  what  shall  the  suffering  people  do? 
Let  us  befriend  the  drunkard  and  the  drunkard's  wife 
and  children,  and  defend  them  from  their  foe.  When  the 
niece  of  Richelieu  was  assailed  by  a  royal  debauchee, 
the  old  cardinal,  with  holy  indignation  flaming  from  his 
eyes,  stood  for  her  protection  : 

"  Look  where  she  stands  ! 
Around  her  form  I  draw  the  awful  circle  of  our  kingly  church. 

Step  but  a  foot  within  the  hallowed  line 
And  on  thy  head — yea,  though  it  wear  a  crown — 
I  '11  hurl  the  curse  of  Rome  !" 

This  should  be  the  attitude  of  the  church  and  of  God's 
people  towards  the  dram-shop,  which  is  the  enemy  ol 
all  things  pure  and  true  and  good.  Let  us  not  undertake 
to  cleanse  what  has  been  proven  in  the  nature  of  things 
to  be  essentially  unclean.  Let  us  not  lay  a  blessing  upon 
that  which  God  has  cursed.  We  must  needs  do  our  best 
and  uttermost  to  rescue  the  dram-seller  from  the  error 
of  his  ways ;  to  break  the  chains  of  the  inebriate  and  set 
him  free;  to  heal  the  wounds  of  the  poor  and  helpless 
whom  the  drink  horror  has  stricken  down.  But  as  to 
that  unmitigated  evil  —  the  dram-shop  —  we  can  offer 
naught  but  bitterest  enmity.  The  vow  of  Cato,  ''Car- 
thago delenda  est,''  must  be  ours.  No  quarter  to  the 
dram-shop  !  The  thing  must  die,  because  it  is  accursed 
of  God. 


The  R«!igion  of  the  Future, 


66  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

HOBAB  OF  AKABA ; 

OR,  WHY  SHOULD  I  BE  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  CHURCH? 


*'  And  Moses  said  unto  Hobab,  the  son  of  Raguel  the  Midianite, 
Moses'  father-in-law,  We  are  journeying  unto  the  place  of  which 
the  Lord  said,  I  will  give  it  you:  come  thou  with  us,  and  we  will 
do  thee  good:  for  the  Lord  hath  spoken  good  concerning  Israel. 
And  he  said  unto  liim,  I  will  not  go;  I  will  depart  to  mine  own 
land,  and  to  my  kindred.  And  he  said.  Leave  us  not,  I  pray 
thee;  forasmuch  as  thou  knowest  how  we  are  to  encamp  in  the 
wilderness,  and  thou  mayest  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes.  And  it 
shall  be,  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it  shall  be  that  what  goodness 
the  Lord  shall  do  unto  us,  the  same  will  we  do  unto  thee." 
Num.  10:29-32. 

We  are  accustomed  to  say,  "  I  believe  in  the  holy- 
catholic  Church,"  and  to  sing,  "  I  love  thy  Church,  O 
God."  Are  we  able  to  give  a  reason  for  this  spirit  of 
devotion  ?  Macaulay  says  that  in  the  time  of  Charles  II. 
there  was  one  institution  that  the  people  prized  more 
than  the  hereditary  monarchy;  to  wit,  the  Establishment; 
and  yet,  while  ready  to  quarrel  or  to  die  for  it,  they  were 
unfamiliar  with  its  creed  and  oblivious  of  its  moral  obH- 
gations.  Such  unreasoning  attachment  to  an  institution 
is  worth  but  little.  We  should  be  ready  always  to  give 
an  answer  to  every  man  that  asketh  a  reason  for  the  faith 
that  is  in  us. 

The  Israelites  had  been  encamped  at  the  foot  of  Mt. 
Sinai  for  about  a  year.  One  morning  in  June,  B.  C.  1490, 
the  mysterious  cloud,  which  had  been  resting  over  the 
tabernacle,  was  seen  lifted  towards  the  sky.  This  meant 
that  they  were  to  journey  on.     An  Arab  sheik  named 


HOBAB   OF  AKABA.  6/ 

Hobab,  from  the  Gulf  of  Akaba,  a  relative  of  Moses,  who 
had  been  abiding  in  the  camp,  gave  notice  that  he  would 
now  depart  to  his  own  land.  The  conference  between 
him  and  Moses  is  given  in  detail : 

And  Moses  said, ''  We  are  journeying  unto  the  place  of 
which  the  Lord  said,  '  I  will  give  it  you :'  come  thou  with 
us  and  we  will  do  thee  good,  for  the  Lord  hath  spoken 
good  concerning  Israel." 

And  Hobab  said,  "  I  will  not  go ;  but  I  will  depart 
unto  my  own  land  and  to  my  kindred." 

And  Moses  said,  "  Leave  us  not,  I  pray  thee ;  foras- 
much as  thou  knowest  how  we  are  to  encamp  in  the  wil- 
derness, and  thou  mayest  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes.  And 
it  shall  be,  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it  shall  be  that  what 
goodness  the  Lord  shall  do  unto  us,  the  same  will  we  do 
unto  thee." 

The  argument  which  is  here  presented  by  Moses  is 
valid  to-day.  There  are  many  persons  outside  of  the 
church  who  ought  to  be  in  it.  There  was  Captain  Miles 
Standish,  of  Plymouth  colony,  "  an  iron-nerved  Puritan 
who  could  hew  down  forests  and  live  on  crumbs."  He 
devoted  himself  to  noble  exploits  in  defence  of  the  colonists 
and  was  nevertheless  not  himself  a  member  of  the  Puritan 
fellowship.  So  here  and  there  a  devoted  Christian  is 
found  who  is  loyal  to  the  landmarks  of  scriptural  faith 
and  doctrine,  a  generous  supporter  of  Christian  enter- 
prises, but  outside  the  visible  communion  of  Christ. 
This  ought  not  to  be.  The  specious  reasoning  which  will 
excuse  the  conduct  of  such  persons  would  excuse  others 
equally  well ;  the  outcome  of  which  would  be — no  church 
at  all.  Let  us  now  consider  the  arguments  which  were 
advanced  by  Moses  in  urging  Hobab  to  fall  in  with  the 
militant  host  of  God. 


68  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

I.  The  Lord  hath  Spoken  good  concerning  Israel.  The 
church  is  a  divine  institution.  It  is  the  great  hving  or- 
ganism through  which  God  is  working  for  the  dehver- 
ance  of  the  world  from  sin. 

The  church  as  divinely  constituted  is  characterized  as 
follows  :  \.  It  is  founded  upon  the  liviiig  Christ.  As  it 
is  written,  *'  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is 
laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ."  2.  Its  symbol  is  the  Bible, 
in  which  the  people  of  the  church  find  their  infallible  rule 
of  faith  and  practice.  No  creed  is  of  value  except  as  it 
sets  forth  the  doctrines  of  Holy  Writ.  No  ethical  system 
can  be  received  which  is  not  wholly  derived  from  the 
Scriptures  as  the  word  of  God.  5.  The  two  sacraments. 
These  furnish  the  cohesive  force  by  which  the  church  is 
held  together.  The  two  sacraments,  Baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  are  the  sole  remnant  of  the  old  cere- 
monial law.  In  simplest  form  they  cover  substantially 
the  whole  of  the  Levitical  economy :  all  purifications  are 
set  forth  in  Baptism ;  all  sacrifices  are  set  forth  in  the 
Lord's  Supper.  4.  The  propaganda.  The  chief  end 
of  the  church  is  to  propagate  the  gospel  until  "  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth,  as  the  waters  cover 
the  sea." 

The  church  thus  founded  and  ordered  has  been  kept 
by  a  special  providence  through  all  these  ages.  All 
ecclesiastical  history  might  be  briefly  written  in  three 
chapters  \  \.  It  opens  with  the  call  of  Abraham  in  Ur 
of  the  Chaldees.  The  Lord  appeared  to  him,  saying, 
"  I  have  appointed  thee  to  keep  the  oracles,  to  cherish 
the  true  religion,  to  hold  the  doctrine  of  the  promised 
Christ  and  hand  it  down  to  coming  generations.  Get 
thee,  therefore,  out  of  thy  country  and  from  thy  kindred 
and  from  thy  father's  house  unto  a  land  that  I  will  show 


HOBAB   OF  AKABA.  69 

thee."  So  Abraham  journeyed  northward  along  the  bank 
of  the  great  river.  Within  the  fluttering  curtains  of  his 
tent  were  the  destinies  of  the  future  church.  Crossing  the 
Euphrates  towards  the  west  he  became  the  Ibri ;  hterally, 
"  the  one  who  crosses  over,"  the  first  of  the  Hebrews. 
Then,  turning  to  the  south,  he  passed  on  to  Beersheba, 
where  he  settled  with  his  household.  His  children  were 
greatly  multiplied.  In  course  of  time  they  went  down 
into  Egypt. 

2.  The  next  chapter  opens  with  the  call  of  Moses. 
Out  in  the  desert  of  Midian  the  Lord  said,  "  I  have 
seen  the  affliction  of  my  people  and  have  heard  their  cry 
by  reason  of  their  task-masters ;  come  now,  therefore, 
and  I  will  send  thee  to  bring  forth  my  people  out  ol 
Egypt.  Then  the  Exodus.  The  midnight  wail  at  the 
death  of  the  firstborn  was  the  signal  for  the  going  forth  of 
a  multitude  of  not  less  than  two  millions  of  slaves.  Out 
into  the  wilderness  God  led  them  with  an  outstretched 
arm ;  the  waves  of  the  sea  parted  before  them ;  at  Sinai 
they  received  their  civil  constitution  in  the  moral  and 
ceremonial  law.  The  forty  years  of  wandering,  with 
many  battles  and  unspeakable  privations,  bound  them 
together  into  a  homogeneous  fellowship,  so  that  at 
length,  under  the  shattered  walls  of  Jericho,  they  passed 
into  the  land  of  promise  no  longer  a  rabble  of  fugitive 
slaves,  but  a  nation.  The  assignments  of  territory  having 
been  made  in  Palestine  they  settled  down  to  various 
modes  of  life,  but  were  held  closely  together  by  their 
religion  centring  in  Jerusalem.  A  numerous  body  of 
priests  cherished  and  set  forth  the  great  central  doctrine 
of  the  promised  Christ  in  a  multitude  of  rites  and  ordi- 
nances, every  one  of  which  pointed  toward  the  cross.  A 
noble  company  of  prophets  taught  the  people  out  of  the 


70  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

Scriptures  and  bade  them  hope  for  the  coming  of  Mes- 
siah. The  shadows  of  rehgious  declension  gathered 
about  the  people,  and  as  the  long  night  of  four  hundred 
years  set  in — dividing  the  old  from  the  new  economy — 
the  last  of  the  prophetic  line,  Malachi,  waving  his  torch, 
cried,  "  The  Sun  of  Righteousness  shall  arise  with  healing 
in  his  beams !" 

3.  The  last  chapter  opens  with  the  song  of  the  angels, 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest;  peace  on  earth,  good-will 
among  men  !"  The  Christ  has  come !  He  preaches  the 
great  truths  of  the  kingdom.  He  heals  the  sick  and 
opens  blind  eyes.  He  sets  his  face  steadfastly  to- 
wards the  cross;  but  ere  he  makes  the  great  pas- 
chal offering  he  gathers  about  him  a  little  company  of 
disciples  who  form  the  nucleus  of  the  Christian  church. 
At  Pentecost  the  baptism  of  fire  and  power  falls  upon 
them,  and  thence  they  are  scattered  abroad,  preaching 
everywhere  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  'God's 
providence  is  round  about  them.  From  a  mere  handful 
their  numbers  are  increased  from  century  to  century,  until 
to-day  there  are  not  less  than  four  hundred  millions  of 
people  who  bow  the  knee  at  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 
So  God  hath  dealt  wonderfully  with  Israel.  The  seed  of 
Messianic  truth  which  he  placed  in  the  hands  of  Abraham 
to  be  planted  and  nourished  has  grown  into  a  glorious 
tree,  under  whose  shadow  the  nations  of  the  earth  take 
shelter.     God  loves  his  church. 

"Her  walls  before  him  stand. 
Dear  as  the  apple  of  his  eye 
And  graven  on  his  hand." 

n.  Come  thou  with  us,  for  we  will  do  thee  good.  What 
are  the  personal  advantages  of  being  in  the  fellowship  of 


HOBAB   OF   AKABA.  7 1 

the  church  ?  i.  The  benefit  of  the  avowal.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Reformation  there  was  a  monk,  Martin  of 
Basle,  who  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  but  was 
reluctant  to  confess  it.  He  wrote  his  confession  on  a  leaf 
of  parchment :  "  O  most  merciful  Christ,  I  know  that  I 
can  be  saved  only  by  the  merit  of  thy  blood.  Hoty  Jesus, 
I  acknowledge  thy  sufferings  for  me.  I  love  thee !  I 
love  thee !"  Then  he  removed  a  stone  from  the  wall  of 
his  chamber  and  deposited  his  confession  there.  It  was 
not  discovered  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  In  the 
meanwhile  no  one  knew  that  Martin  of  Basle  had  found 
the  riches  of  Christ.  About  the  same  time,  however, 
there  was  another  monk,  Martin  of  Wittemberg,  who, 
reading  an  old  copy  of  the  Scriptures,  saw  clearly  the 
great  truth  of  justification  by  faith.  He  said,  "  My  Lord 
has  confessed  me  before  men ;  I  will  not  shrink  from  con- 
fessing him  before  kings."  On  the  door  of  the  royal 
church  he  nailed  his  ninety-five  theses.  In  the  Diet  at 
Worms  he  witnessed  a  noble  confession.  The  world  re- 
veres the  memory  of  Martin  of  Wittemberg ;  but  as  for 
Martin  of  Basle,  who  cares  for  him  ?  The  manly  thing 
is  to  make  confession  of  one's  faith.  The  manly  thing 
is  to  speak  out.  "  Who  now  is  on  the  Lord's  side  ?" 
"  With  the  heart  man  beheveth  unto  righteousness,  but 
with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation." 

2.  The  benefit  of  the  Eucharist.  Here  we  speak  diffi- 
dently, for  we  are  in  the  presence  of  a  great  mystery. 
The  bread  of  the  sacrament  is  bread,  and  the  wine  is 
nothing  but  wine ;  and  yet  there  is  a  spiritual  influence 
which  is  conveyed  to  the  soul  partaking  of  them.  This 
simple  repast  is  like  the  cake  baken  on  the  coals  and 
the  cruse  of  water  of  which  the  prophet  partook  and 
then    proceeded  in  the    strength  of  it  forty  days   unto 


72"  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

the  mount  of  God.  It  is  indeed  a  feast  of  fat  things  and 
of  wine  upon  the  lees.  In  discerning  the  bruised  body 
and  poured-out  blood  of  Jesus  we  enter  in  some  myste- 
rious manner  into  a  pecuHar  communion  with  him.  As 
it  is  written,  "  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my 
blood  dwelleth  in  me,  and  I  in  him." 

3.  The  benefit  of  mutual  help.  The  Hebrew  word  for 
strength  is  chayil,  meaning  "  twisted."  A  three-fold  cord 
is  not  easily  broken.  No  man  can  stand  alone.  We  need 
each  other's  prayers  and  sympathy.  "  Two  are  better 
than  one,  for  if  one  fall  the  other  will  lift  him  up ;  but  woe 
to  him  that  is  alone  when  he  falleth,  for  he  hath  not  an- 
other to  help  him  up." 

III.  Thou  mayest  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes.  The  Israel- 
ites were  facing  the  wilderness ;  Hobab  knew  the  way. 
He  could  help  them. 

God  is  doing  a  great  work.  He  is  doing  it  through 
his  church.  A  call  goes  forth  to  every  earnest  man  to 
fall  in  with  this  fellowship  and  so  become  a  laborer  to- 
gether with  God.  When  Barak  went  out  against  Sisera's 
army  the  cry  was  heard  from  the  heights,  "  To  the  help  of 
the  Lord  !  To  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty  !" 
And  from  every  direction  the  tribes  came  flocking  to  his 
standard.  But  up  in  the  north  the  village  of  Meroz, 
nestling  among  the  hills,  heeded  not  the  call.  When  the 
battle  was  over,  and  Deborah  went  forth  with  the  daugh- 
ters of  Israel  to  sing  the  triumph,  there  was  one  minor 
note: 

"  Curse  ye  Meroz,  said  the  messenger  of  the  Lord, 
Curse  ye  its  inhabitants 

Because  they  came  not  to  the  help  of  the  Lord, 
To  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty," 

No  right-thinking  man,  who  loves  truth  and  goodness 


HOBAB    OF  AKABA.  73 

and  who  believes  in  Jesus  Christ,  can  afford  to  be  left  out 
of  the  great  work  of  the  kingdom.  If  it  be  asked,  *'  Can- 
not a  man  be  saved  outside  of  the  fellowship  of  the 
church  ?"  we  answer,  That  is  to  put  the  question  on  the 
very  lowest  plane.  No  doubt  there  are  many  in  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  who  were  not  associated  with  any  body  of 
believers  here.  But  they  lost  the  glorious  opportunity  of 
serving  in  the  militant  host. 

"  The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 
A  kingly  crown  to  gain  ; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar  : 
Who  follows  in  His  train  ?" 

It  is  an  exalted  privilege  to  serve  God  in  his  great 
company.  We  are  going  to  the  land  whereof  the  Lord 
hath  said,  "  I  will  give  it  thee."  Come  thou  with  us,  good 
friend.  There  are  blessings  by  the  way,  but  the  milk  and 
honey  are  beyond  the  wilderness.  There  is  an  inherit- 
ance in  the  heavenly  Palestine  for  thee. 

You  may  have  part  with  us  in  the  redemption  of  the 
world  under  the  great  Leader.  There  is  a  work  awaiting 
your  hand  which  no  one  can  do  as  well  as  you.  There 
is  a  place  in  the  ranks  vacant  until  you  enlist  and  stand 
beneath  the  banner  of  the  King  of  kings. 

Come  with  us.  This  great  company — the  Church — is 
under  God's  special  care  and  promise. 

Come  with  us.     We  will  do  thee  good. 

Come  with  us.  Thy  life  shall  count  for  something  yet 
in  the  great  conflict  against  sin,  as  thou  shalt  find  thy 
place  in  the  embattled  host. 


74  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


THE  GLORY  OF  THIS  MYSTERY. 


"I  have  received  a  dispensation  to  fulfil  (marg-m,  fnWy  to  preach) 
the  word  of  God  ;  even  the  mystery  which  has  been  hid  from 
ages  and  from  generations,  but  now  is  made  manifest  to  his 
saints:  to  whom  God  would  make  known  what  is  the  riches  of 
the  glory  of  this  mystery  among  the  Gentiles ;  which  is  Christ 
in  you,  the  hope  of  glory."     Col.  1:25-27. 

Paul  is  giving  an  account  of  his  work.  All  the  indus- 
try which  had  marked  his  career  as  a  zealot  under  the 
commission  of  the  Sanhedrin,  for  the  propagation  of  Juda- 
ism, he  had  brought  over  into  the  service  of  Christ. 
A  new  commission  or  dispensation  had  been  given  him, 
and  in  this  case  from  God  himself:  to  wit,  to  make  known 
a  great  mystery,  which  had  been  hid  from  ages  and  from 
generations.  This  was  the  sum  and  substance  of  his 
preaching.  It  was  the  setting  forth  of  a  revelation  or  un- 
veiling from  God. 

I.  T/ie  mystery  here  referred  to  is  declared  to  be  "  the 
hope  of  glory."  Men  have  always  believed  that  there  is 
something  beyond  this  present  life.  The  spark  of  original 
divineness  has  never  been  extinguished  within  us.  We 
came  forth  from  God.  He  made  us  in  his  Hkeness  ;  to 
face  great  problems ;  to  have  our  hearts  thrilled  with 
noble  aspirations  ;  to  see  visions  and  to  dream  dreams ; 
to  commune  with  him.  In  our  childhood  we  look  off  to- 
wards the  interstellar  spaces  and  wonder.  There  is  some- 
thing beyond.  There  are  heights  unattainable.  By  these 
very  wonderings  we  are  infinitely  separated  from  the 
lower  orders  of  life.     We  are  all  sensible  that  we  have 


THE   GLORY   OF   THIS   MYSTERY.  75 

met  with   a  great  loss ;    our  birthright  has   gone  from 

us. 

"  The  moon  doth  with  delight 
Look  round  her  when  the  heavens  are  bare  ; 
The  waters  on  a  starry  night 
Are  beautiful  and  fair  ; 
The  sunshine  is  a  glorious  birth  ; 
But  yet  I  know,  where'er  I  go, 
That  there  hath  passed  away  a  glory  from  the  earth." 

Shall  we  ever  recover  our  lost  estate  ?  Is  there  a  glo- 
rious destiny  in  store  for  us  ?  May  we  venture  to  hope  ? 
Our  hopes  are  ever  clouded  in  doubts  and  misgivings.  If 
we  need  confirmation  of  them,  we  are  met  in  nature  by  the 
fact  that  everything  changes  and  passes  away.  The  old 
mountains  are  crumbling ;  the  stars  of  heaven  are  fading 
out ;  to  everything  there  is  an  end.  If  we  seek  consola- 
tion from  the  King  of  Terrors  we  are  appalled.  From  his 
bourne  no  traveller  has  ever  returned.  The  lips  of  the 
dead  have  no  word  for  us.  There  is  no  voice,  nor  answer, 
nor  any  that  regardeth.  If  we  ask  philosophy  to  confirm 
our  hopes,  its  strongest  word  is  if,  ox  perhaps.  Plato  felt 
himself  to  be  floating  on  a  raft  upon  a  boundless  sea; 
whence  he  came,  or  whither  he  went,  he  knew  not. 
Socrates,  with  the  cup  of  hemlock  at  his  lips,  ventured 
to  hope;  yet,  whether  this  was  the  end,  or  something 
was  to  come  after,  he  knew  not. 

II.  The  mystery  declared.  The  Lord  Jesus  came  into 
the  world  to  verify  this  hope  of  glory.  He  preached  it. 
He  was  ever  speaking  of  the  other  world  :  the  Father's 
house,  whence  he  had  come  and  whither  he  should  go ; 
the  world  of  angels  and  perfected  saints.  All  his  dis- 
course was  in  the  realm  of  invisible  reaHties.  His  life 
was  like  a  ladder  reaching  up  from  the  mountains  and 
lost  in   the  glory  above.      His  great  work   on   Calvary 


^6  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

was   the   casting    up   of  a   highway   into   that   ineflfable 
glory. 

The  hands  that  seemed  so  helpless  when  nailed  upon 
the  cross  were  paving  the  way  into  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  his  resurrection  flung  wide  the  doors.  We 
stand  at  the  open  sepulchre,  and  as  our  eyes  grow  accus- 
tomed to  the  darkness  it  becomes  a  window  opening  up- 
ward through  which  we  behold  the  splendors  of  the  eter- 
nal home.  In  this  vision,  life  and  immortality  are  brought 
to  light.  The  hope  becomes  a  glorious  fact.  The  hand 
of  the  death-angel  sets  the  pulse  beating  wildly  with  a 
glorious  expectancy. 

"The  world  recedes;  it  disappears! 
Heaven  opens  on  my  eyes  !  my  ears 

With  sounds  seraphic  ring  : 
Lend,  lend  your  wings  !     I  mount !     I  fly ! 
O  grave  !  where  is  thy  victory? 
O  death  !  where  is  thy  sting?" 

III.  The  mystery  apprehended.  It  is  not  enough  that 
Christ  should  declare  it.  There  is  little  advantage  in  objec- 
tive truth.  Gold  in  the  mine  makes  no  man  rich.  Water 
in  the  brook  satisfies  no  man's  thirst.  The  gold  must  be 
digged,  coined,  held  in  the  hand.  The  water  must  be 
put  to  the  lips.  So  truth  must  be  appropriated.  Luther 
thanked  God  for  the  personal  pronouns.  It  is  not  Christ 
yonder  who  saves,  but  Christ  made  mine.  The  joy  of  sal- 
vation is  in  being  able  to  say,  *'  My  Lord  and  my  God." 

The  key  of  this  mystery,  '*  the  hope  of  glory,"  is  an- 
other mystery,  "  Christ  in  you."  There  must  needs  be  an 
anchor  on  every  ship  that  sails,  but  when  the  storm  rages 
an  anchor  on  the  deck  is  a  vain  thing;  it  must  be  let 
down,  down,  until  its  flukes  take  hold  upon  the  rock, 
and  then,  when  the  anchor  chain  is  all  a-tremble,  the  ship 


THE  GLORY  OF  THIS  MYSTERY.        'jj 

holds  fast.  So  must  we  apprehend  our  Lord.  The 
anchor-chain  is  faith ;  it  holds  us  to  the  things  which  are 
within  the  veil. 

But  what  does  this  mean, — "  Christ  in  us"?  Would 
that  it  were  possible  to  tell.  Who  can  explain  the  para- 
ble of  the  vine  and  its  branches  ?  Yet  upon  the  realiza- 
tion of  this  mystery  in  our  experience  depends  all  the 
profitableness  of  life.  As  it  is  written,  "  He  that  abideth 
in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit  ; 
for  without  me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

We  may  not  explain  the  mystery,  but  we  may  realize 
it.  The  hope  of  glory  may  be  ours.  The  clew  to  the 
labyrinth  may  be  beyond  comprehension,  but  what  mat- 
ter, if  it  leads  us  into  light  ?  The  utility  of  a  key  does 
not  depend  upon  a  man's  acquaintance  with  the  lock- 
smith's art.  Christ  in  us  is  the  truth  that  opens  the  door 
into  glory. 

We  may  know  by  certain  infallible  signs  whether  or 
no  we  have  possessed  ourselves  of  it. 

1.  The  first  token  is  a  willingness  to  hear.  The  Mas- 
ter's word  is  the  believer's  court  of  last  appeal.  As  Ulys- 
ses, sailing  homeward,  was  about  to  pass  the  enchanted 
isles,  he  caused  himself  to  be  bound  to  the  mast  lest  he 
should  yield  to  the  Sirens'  allurements.  The  voices  rang 
in  his  ears ;  the  white  arms  reached  forth  and  beckoned  ; 
he  heard,  he  saw,  he  struggled  to  be  free,  but  his  nobler 
purpose  held  him.  So  the  Christian  hears  one  voice 
above  all  others:  it  is  the  Lord's  behest;  he  is  bound 
by  the  sternest  sense  of  duty.  The  love  of  Christ  con- 
strains him. 

2.  Another  token  is  holiness.  The  divine  life  in  the 
believer  is  by  a  strange  alchemy  transmuted  into  this 
glorious  result.     A  dew-drop,  colorless  and  odorless,  falls 


78  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

upon  a  rose-bush ;  it  enters  into  the  life  of  the  rose.  Pluck 
the  flower,  press  it,  and  the  dew-drop  re-appears,  and 
now  it  has  beauty  and  fragrance.  Explain  to  me  the 
mystery  of  the  dewdrop  and  I  will  explain  the  mystery  of 
Christ  dwelHng  in  the  believer's  soul  and  ever  revealing 
himself  in  the  excellency  of  a  holy  life.  The  love  of  the 
Master  makes  us  "coy  and  tender  to  offend."  It  is 
written,  "  Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit 
sin,"  i.  e.,  the  trend  of  his  entire  life  is  toward  truth  and 
goodness.  If  betrayed  into  wandering,  he  returns.  His 
life  is  hke  the  magnetic  needle,  which,  however  it  may 
tremble  on  its  pivot,  comes  back  to  point  northward.  To 
have  Christ  dwelling  in  us  is  to  have  purged  out  sin. 

3.  Yet  another  token  of  this  divine  indwelling  is  read- 
iness to  do  and  suffer  aught  for  the  Master's  sake.  Self 
is  more  and  more  lost  sight  of  The  divine  within  us 
crowds  out  all  else.  "  Fire  burns,"  said  Bishop  Bonner 
to  Audley  under  sentence  of  death  ;  *'  fire  burns  and  flesh 
cringes."  "  Aye,"  said  Audley ;  **  but  what  is  flesh  now 
and  what  is  life  to  a  man  who  surrenders  all  to  God  ?  If 
I  had  as  many  lives  as  there  are  hairs  upon  my  head,  yet 
would  I,  without  a  moment's  fear,  lay  all  before  Him." 

4.  The  last  token  by  which  we  verify  our  appropria- 
tion of  the  great  mystery  is  iiiward  happiness.  Why 
should  not  that  man  rejoice  whose  destinies  are  inextrica- 
bly blended  with  the  unspeakable  glory  of  the  Son  of 
God  ?  For  if  we  sufler  with  him  we  shall  also  be  glorified 
together.  If  we  enter  into  the  fellowship  of  his  death  we 
shall  also  rise  with  him  unto  the  endless  life.  There  is  no 
song  like  the  song  of  salvation.  "  I  am  my  Beloved's  and 
he  is  mine ;  his  banner  over  me  is  love."  When  the  new 
world  appeared  to  the  weary  eyes  of  Columbus  he  led  his 
sailors  in  the  Te  Deum.    Bui,  what  worlds  of  eternal  re- 


THE   GLORY   OF   THIS    MYSTERY. 


79 


joicing  are  opened  up  to  us  in  the  hope  of  glory !     All 
heaven  is  ours. 

"To  Thee  all  Angels  cry  aloud,  the  Heavens,  and  all  the  Pow- 
ers therein. 

To  Thee  Cherubim  and  Seraphim  continually  do  cry, 

Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  of  Sabaoth, 

Heaven  and  earth  are  full  of  the  majesty  of  Thy  glory. 

Thou  didst  open  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  all  believers. 

Thou  sittest  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  in  the  glory  of  the 
Father. 

Day  by  day  we  magnify  Thee,  and  we  worship  Thy  Name 
ever,  world  without  end. 

O  Lord,  let  Thy  mercy  be  upon  us,  as  our  trust  is  in  Thee." 

The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper*  is  the  outward 
symbol  of  this  mystical  union  of  the  believer  and  Christ. 
"  I  do  as  certainly  feed  and  nourish  your  hungry  and 
thirsty  soul  with  My  crucified  body  and  shed  blood  to 
everlasting  life  as  this  bread  is  broken  before  your  eyes 
and  this  cup  is  given  to  you,  and  as  ye  do  eat  and  drink 
the  same  in  remembrance  of  me,"  is  the  Lord's  word  to 
each  guest  at  the  table.  The  elements  of  the  sacrament 
are  simple  bread  and  v/ine ;  nor  do  we  believe  that  they 
are  changed  in  any  mysterious  way  into  veritable  flesh 
and  blood.  Spiritually,  however,  our  Lord  does  com- 
municate himself  to  us  in  the  partaking  of  this  feast. 
It  sets  forth  in  outward  symbol  the  fact  that  salvation 
is  attained  only  by  an  actual  receiving  of  the  living 
Christ.  As  it  is  written,  "  Except  ye  eat  my  flesh  and 
drink  my  blood  ye  have  no  Hfe  in  you."  Here  is  mystery 
again  ;  but  shall  we  therefore  reject  it  ?  Life  itself  is  a 
mystery.  Where  does  life  dwell  ?  In  the  brain  ?  In  the 
heart?    Or,  as  some  of  the  ancients  believed,  in  the  pineal 

**  This  sermon  was  delivered  at  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper. 


80  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

gland  ?  Nay.  It  dwells  everywhere  in  us.  It  abides  in 
brain  and  throbbing  pulse  and  flashing  eyes,  and  every- 
where to  the  very  finger  tips.  So  does  Christ  dwell  in  us  : 
possessing  the  will,  the  brain,  the  heart,  and  conscience ; 
making  the  body  itself  his  temple  to  dwell  in. 

When  Wesley  was  dying  he  murmured  over  and  over 
again,  "  Immanuel — God  with  us — This  is  the  best  of  all — 
God  with  us."  It  is  indeed  a  blessed  truth  that  God 
should  have  bowed  the  heavens  to  come  down  and 
dwell  among  us.  But  that  is  not  the  best  of  all.  The 
best  is  Christ  in  us,  Christ  in  us— the  hope  of  glory. 

"  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock :  if  any  man 
hear  my  voice  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him, 
and  will  sup  with  him,  and  he  with  me." 


THE   CAREER    OF  A   FAST  YOUNG   MAN.  8 

THE 

CAREER  OF  A  FAST  YOUNG  MAN. 


"  Now  Absalom  in  his  lifetime  had  taken  and  reared  up  for  himself 
a  pillar,  which  'is  in  the  king's  dale ;  for  he  said,  I  have  no  son 
to  keep  my  name  in  remembrance:  and  he  called  the  pillar 
after  his  own  name  ;  and  it  is  called  unto  this  day,  Absalom's 
place."     2  Sam.  i8:i8. 

The  French  have  a  proverb,  "  To  every  bird  its  nest 
is  fair,"  and  the  Spaniards  have  another,  "  Every  dog  is  a 
lion  in  his  own  kennel ;"  each  of  which  is  but  another  way 
of  saying,  "There  is  no  place  hke  home."  But  it  takes 
more  than  four  walls  and  a  roof  to  make  a  home.  It  takes 
love  and  patience  and  self-denial,  and  all  the  sisterhood  of 
graces.  If  the  roofs  were  lifted  from  the  dwelHngs  of 
this  great  city  what  desolations  we  should  see !  Here  a 
frivolous  mother  is  the  evil  spirit  of  the  domestic  circle ; 
there  it  is  a  churlish  Nabal  who  brings  misery  with  him. 
Now  the  bane  of  the  household  is  poverty,  and  again  the 
wine  cup.  So  was  it  in  David's  golden  house ;  there  was 
every  luxury,  yet  an  unspeakable  sorrow  withal.  The 
skeleton  in  the  closet  was  a  scapegrace  son. 

On  the  day  when  Absalom  was  born  there  was  great 
rejoicing  in  the  palace.  How  proud  King  David  was,  and 
what  dreams  the  fond  mother  dreamed  as  she  looked  into 
that  infant's  face  !  As  time  passed  he  grew  into  a  splen- 
did youth.  Handsome  ?  "  In  all  Israel  there  was  none 
so  fair:  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  sole  of  his  feet 
there  was  no  blemish  in  him."  His  hair,  luxuriant  and 
glossy,  fell  over  his  shoulders.  Alas,  it  was  destined  to 
6 


82  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

cost  him  dearly  yet !  He  was  every  inch  a  prince ;  brave 
as  a  Hon,  dashing,  headstrong,  a  very  Harry  Hotspur. 
He  was  fond  of  display.  He  Hved  a  luxurious  life.  He 
was  ever  ready  for  a  revel.  He  gathered  around  him  a 
coterie  of  the  young  blades  of  Jerusalem,  and  presently 
was  known — for  history  goes  around  and  around,  and  the 
things  that  happened  then  are  happening  now — as  a  fast 
young  man. 

The  story  of  Absalom  is  briefly  told.  Its  first  chapter 
is  sprinkled  with  blood.  He  was  scarcely  out  of  his  teens 
before  he  had  killed  his  brother  Amnon  and  fled  to  Ge- 
shur,  his  mother's  home,  where  he  spent  three  impatient 
years  in  exile.  Then  by  a  ruse  he  secured  permission  to 
return ;  and  presently  his  indulgent  father,  bending  over 
him  with  pride  glowing  in  his  eyes,  said,  "  Let  bygones 
be  bygones,"  and  kissed  him. 

The  next  chapter  in  his  life  is  full  of  dissipation.  He 
set  up  an  ostentatious  establishment.  Had  you  listened 
under  his  window  you  might  have  heard  far  into  the 
night  the  ratding  of  dice  and  the  clink  of  goblets.  No 
boy  in  Jerusalem  but  knew  Prince  Absalom's  prancing 
and  curvetting  horses.  These  were  an  Egyptian  innova- 
tion and  had  been  expressly  forbidden.  But  Absalom  fol- 
lowed the  religion  of  his  mother,  who  was  a  pagan  prin- 
cess, and  God's  precepts  were  nothing  to  him. 

The  next  chapter  is  one  of  plotting  and  treachery. 
"  He  rose  up  early,"  it  is  written,  **and  betook  himself  to 
the  gate."  Oh,  he  was  a  clever  youth.  He  met  there 
such  farmers  and  others  as  were  in  litigation,  and  asked, 
"  How  goes  your  case  ?"  and  when  they  answered,  "  Slow- 
ly," he  replied  with  a  sigh  of  solicitude,  *'  Alas  !  My 
father  is  old;  he  means  well,  but  he  has  no  counsellors 
to  speak  of;    if  I  were  only  in  power  you  should  see." 


THE   CAREER   OF   A   FAST   YOUNG   MAN.  83 

Thus  did  he  sow  dragons'  teeth.  He  "  stole  the  hearts  of 
the  people ;"  and  treachery  could  no  farther  go.  Better 
had  he  stolen  the  king's  jewels  or  looted  the  royal  ex- 
chequer than  to  have  stolen  away  the  people's  hearts ! 

In  the  next  chapter  we  see  Absalom  going  out  to  He- 
bron to  fulfil,  as  he  told  his  father,  a  solemn  vow.  It 
must  have  pleased  the  king  to  know  that  his  son  was  turn- 
ing over  a  new  leaf  and  setting  his  heart  at  last  upon 
religious  things.  He  was  indeed  but  stealing  the  livery 
of  the  court  of  heaven  to  serve  the  devil  in  ;  for  fast  after 
him  followed  Ahithophel,  the  prime  minister,  and  a  com- 
pany of  congenial  conspirators,  chosen  from  the  flower  of 
the  army.  The  plans  had  been  well  arranged :  sentinels 
were  stationed  here  and  there  along  the  way ;  a  line  of 
beacons  had  been  laid  upon  the  hills ;  the  flames  gave  the 
signal  from  hill-top  to  hill-top ;  the  procession  set  out  for 
Jerusalem  amid  shouts  and  acclamations,  "Absalom  is 
king  !  Long  live  Absalom  !"  The  tidings  were  brought 
to  David  at  his  golden  house.  He  had  no  time  for  de- 
liberation. His  heart  was  crushed  by  the  treachery  of  his 
wayward  but  beloved  son.  He  gathered  his  family  to- 
gether with  his  immediate  friends  and  set  forth.  It  was  a 
sad  procession  that  passed  down  over  the  Kedron  and 
across  the  slopes  of  Olivet ;  Zadok  and  the  Levites  bear- 
ing the  ark,  followed  by  the  king  barefoot  and  casting 
ashes  upon  his  head.  Behind  them  they  heard  the  shouts 
of  the  people  as  they  welcomed  Hotspur  to  the  throne, 
"  Long  live  the  king  !"  Now  surely  would  begin  the 
golden  age. 

The  last  chapter — at  Mahanaim,  beyond  the  Jordan. 
Here  David  had  entrenched  himself,  and  a  constantly  in- 
creasing army  had  gathered  about  him.  It  was  now 
rumored  that  Absalom  was  on  his  way  hither  to  dislodge 


84  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE  FUTURE. 

him.  The  battle  would  be  joined  to-day.  The  followers 
of  David  entreat  him  not  to  jeopardize  his  life  in  the 
high  places  of  the  field.  He  is  only  too  willing  to  remain 
behind.  How  can  he  draw  his  sword  against  Absalom  ? 
He  takes  his  place  beside  the  gate  to  watch,  and  his  last 
word  of  injunction  to  his  lieutenant  is,  "  Deal  gently  with 
the  young  man."  The  day  wear-s  on.  From  the  distance 
come  sounds  of  conflict.  The  fire  kindles  in  the  eyes  of 
the  old  warrior.  He  sits  beside  the  gate  ;  naught  but  his 
love  for  Absalom  could  keep  him  here.  To  and  fro  the 
battle  rages,  until  at  length  Absalom's  army  is  turned  to 
flight.  In  the  wood  of  Ephraim  he  is  caught  by  his  long 
hair  in  the  boughs  of  the  terebinth.  The  enemy  ride  past 
in  swift  pursuit,  forbearing  to  slay  him  because  he  is  the 
Lord's  anointed.  Then  Joab  comes,  his  eyes  aflame  with 
the  fury  of  battle,  and  thrusts  three  darts  through  Absa- 
lom's breast,  and  leaves  him  dangling  there  betwixt 
heaven  and  earth.  Meanwhile  the  old  king  is  waiting 
beside  the  gate.  A  messenger  appears,  running  fast. 
"  News,  O  king !"  he  cries.  But  what  cares  David  for 
news  save  of  his  wayward  son  ?  "  Is  the  young  man  Ab- 
salom safe  ?"  And  the  herald,  whose  heart  is  full  of  com- 
passion for  the  king,  says,  "  There  was  a  tumult,  but  I 
knew  not  what  it  was."  But  here  comes  another  herald 
running,  a  Cushite,  in  whose  heart  is  no  tenderness. 
**  News,  O  king  !"  The  old  man  rises  and  eagerly  ques- 
tions him :  "  Is  it  well  with  the  young  man  Absalom  ?" 
"  May  it  be  unto  all  thine  enemies,  O  king,  as  it  is  with 
that  young  man."  The  worst  is  told.  The  old  king  stag- 
gers up  the  stairway  to  the  chamber  above  the  gate,  wring- 
ing his  hands,  and  moaning  as  he  goes,  "  O  my  son  Absa- 
lom, my  son,  my  son  Absalom  !  Would  God  I  had  died 
for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my  son  !" 


THE   CAREER   OF  A   FAST  YOUNG   MAN.  ^5 

In  the  flush  of  Absalom's  prosperity  he  had  caused  a 
monument  to  be  reared  in  the  kingr's  dale.  It  was  doubt- 
less an  imposing  marble  shaft.  He  hoped  that  after  his 
death  posterity  would  write  his  splendid  achievements 
upon  it.  Let  us  trace  up  the  practical  lessons  of  this 
wayward  life  upon  the  blank  faces  of  that  pillar  to-day. 

I.  On  one  side  let  us  inscribe,  "  The  fathers  have  eaten 
a  so2ir  grape,  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  on  edgeT 
For  there  is  a  tremendous  truth  in  heredity.  Was  it 
strange  that  Absalom  should  have  taken  unto  himself  his 
father's  concubines  ?  Or  was  it  strange  that  the  son  of 
him  who  set  Uriah  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle  should 
have  reddened  his  hands  with  a  brother's  blood  ?  The 
fury  of  the  tiger  passes  on  to  the  tiger's  cub.  No  man 
liveth  unto  himself,  and,  alas  !  no  man  dieth  unto  himself 
We  are  Hke  Alpine  tourists,  bound  together  in  such  a  way 
that  if  one  goes  down  the  others  must  take  heed  lest  they 
go  tumbling  after  him. 

II.  On  the  second  face  of  the  monument  let  us  write, 
"  The  eye  that  mocketh  at  his  father  and  despiseth  his  mo- 
ther, the  ravens  of  the  valley  shall  pick  it  out  and  the 
young  eagles  shall  eat  itr  If  Absalom  was,  at  times, 
ashamed  of  his  father,  was  that  to  be  wondered  at  ?  Da- 
vid was  a  shepherd,  and  the  smell  of  the  meadows  was 
always  upon  him.  He  had  old-fashioned  ideas  of  God 
and  goodness.  He  was  scarcely  famihar  with  what  his 
exquisite  son  would  have  called  the  finesse  or  accomplish- 
ments of  social  life.  In  the  great  city  there  is  many  a 
youth  who  can  sympathize  with  him.  You  walk  along 
Broadway  with  your  old  father  who  has  come  in  from  the 
country  to  visit  you.  His  coat  is  out  of  fashion  ;  his  face 
is  sunburnt ;  his  hands  callous  ;  he  stands  agape  at  the 
show-windows   or  fearful  at  the  street  -  crossings ;    you 


86  tHEi   RELIGION    OF  THE   FUTURE. 

smile,  and  are — just  a  little — ashamed  of  him.  But  that 
tawny  hand,  my  boy,  kept  the  wolf  from  the  door  when 
you  were  lying  in  your  cradle,  and  one  reason  why  his 
trowsers  "  bag  at  the  knee  "  is  because  he  has  been  kneel- 
ing in  prayer  for  you.  God  pity  the  man  who,  for  fashion 
or  grammar,  goes  back  on  the  father  that  begat  him. 
Take  heed  of  that  "  command  with  promise  "  given  us 
long  ago  :  "  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy 
days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God 
giveth  thee." 

III.  On  the  third  side  of  the  pillar  let  us  write,  "  Poli- 
cy vs.  Principled  I  hate  that  word  policy.  We  say 
"honesty  is  the  best  policy,"  but  the  Lord  have  mercy 
upon  a  man  who  can  put  his  honesty  upon  no  higher 
plane  !  An  ounce  of  principle  is  worth  a  ton  of  prudence. 
No  doubt  Absalom  was  praised  again  and  again  for  his 
cleverness,  and  he  was  exceeding  popular  too.  It  is  a 
dangerous  thing  to  be  popular.  Not  long  ago  I  attended 
our  class  reunion  at  Yale,  at  which  each  was  expected  to 
give  an  account  of  his  life  .during  the  years  that  had 
passed  since  we  sang  with  each  other  under  the  elms. 
In  the  course  of  the  night  the  president  called  upon  one 
who  was  known  for  his  genial  quaHties,  and  spoke  of  him 
as  "  always  a  good  fellow."  "  I  do  n't  thank  you  for 
that,"  said  he,  as  he  arose.  "  You  mean  kindly,  I  know. 
I  was  a  good  fellow  in  college.  I  tried  to  be  a  good  fel- 
low, and  it  was  almost  the  death  of  me.  For  fifteen 
years  after  graduation  I  posed  as  a  good  fellow,  when  a 
thunderbolt  from  heaven  went  through  my  heart  and 
conscience,  and  since  then,  for  ten  glorious  years,  I  have 
tried  to  be  a  square  man.  You,"  he  said,  turning  to 
the  president  of  the  evening,  "  have  a  boy  going  to  col- 
lege next  year.      Tell  him,  for  me,  to  take  heed  of  the 


THE   CAREER   OF  A   FAST   YOUNG   MAN.  8/ 

danger  that  lies  in  being  called  a  good  fellow.    Tell  him 
there  is   nothing  Hke   manliness."     Would  that   all   our 
lads  set  out  for  college  with  that  conviction.     Oh,  young 
men,  be  true  to  duty  !    Be  true  to  God  and  to  your  fellow- 
men.     Be  true  to  yourselves,  for  nothing  outside  of  divine 
revelation  was  ever  more  wisely  said  than  this : 
"  To  thine  own  self  be  true. 
And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day, 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man." 

IV.  On  the  fourth  face  of  the  monument  in  the  king's 
dale  let  us  inscribe/'  The  name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot''  Ab- 
salom had  hoped  for  a  splendid  sepulture.  There  should 
be  mourning  when  he  died,  the  people  saying — "A  great 
man  has  fallen  in  Israel  this  day."  They  should  bring 
wreaths  and  lay  upon  his  bier.  Loud  wailings  should 
follow  him  to  his  tomb.  Instead  of  this,  his  grave  was 
a  pit  in  the  wood  of  Ephraim  into  which  he  was  cast 
with  three  arrows  sticking  through  his  breast.  A  heap 
of  stones  is  shown  to  this  day  in  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat 
as  Absalom's  tomb,  and  every  Jew  who  passes  by  hurls  a 
missile  at  it,  with  the  malediction,  "  Cursed  be  Absalom, 
and  all  his  children  after  him." 

We  cannot,  however,  leave  the  matter  at  this  point. 
Let  us  inscribe  about  the  pedestal  of  this  pillar,  ''Fear 
God  and  keep  his  commandments,  for  this  is  the  whole 
duty  of  man''  It  may  be  that  there  are  some  here  who 
have  been  living  wayward  lives.  Indeed,  we  all  have 
wandered  too  far.  Some  have  been  in  the  far  country, 
wasting  their  substance  in  riotous  living.  Thank  God,  it 
is  not  too  late  to  mend.  Out  of  our  boyhood  comes  ring- 
ing the  word  that  fell  upon  the  ears  of  Dick  Whittington, 
as  he  was  trudging  out  of  London  weary  and  heart-sore  : 
"  Turn  again,  Whittington  !     Turn  again,  Whittington  ! 


88  Ttlfi  RELIGION  OF  THE  FUTURE. 

Lord  Mayor  of  London  !"  God  is  very  patient  with  his 
wayward  ones.  He  does  not  cry,  "  Would  God  I  had 
died  for  thee."  He  dies  for  us  that  he  may  save  us. 
He  does  not  cry,  "  O  Absalom,  my  son  !  would  God  I 
had  died  for  thee,"  but,  "  O  Ephraim  !  how  can  I  give 
thee  up  ?"  And  he  stretches  forth  his  hands  in  constant 
entreaty,  saying,  "As  I  live,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  wicked.  Turn  ye !  Turn  ye !  For  why  will 
ye  die  ?"  Yonder  is  the  cross,  to  heal  the  wounds  of  the 
past.  The  blood  cleanseth.  The  sins  that  were  as  scarlet 
shall  be  white  as  snow;  the  sins  that  were  as  crimson 
shall  be  as  wool.  The  past  is  gone ;  the  future  beckons. 
Let  us  forget  the  things  which  are  behind,  by  the  mer- 
cies of  God  as  manifest  in  Jesus  Christ,  and,  reaching 
forth  unto  the  things  which  are  before,  let  us  press  to- 
ward the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord. 


AT  THE  HORNS  OF  THE  ALTAR.      89 


AT  THE  HORNS  OF  THE  ALTAR. 


"And  Joab  fled  unto  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord,  and  caught  hold  on 
the  horns  of  the  altar."     i  Kings  2:28. 

We  have  no  occasion  to  waste  sympathy  on  this  man. 
He  richly  deserved  all  that  befell  him.  His  name,  Joab, 
an  abbreviation  of  "  Jehovah-Abbah,"  has  in  it  a  sugges- 
tion of  loyalty  to  God  ;  but  what 's  in  a  name  ?  Many  a 
John,  James,  Peter,  Theodore,  or  Christopher  has  served 
the  Prince  of  Darkness.  So  here.  Joab  was  a  man  of 
blood.  He  assassinated  Abner  in  the  gate  of  Hebron. 
He  met  his  friend  Amasa  in  the  way  and  greeted  him, 
"Art  thou  in  health,  my  brother  ?" — meanwhile  fumbhng 
for  his  dagger  with  which  he  thrust  him  under  the  fifth 
rib.  No  one  else  dared  kill  Absalom,  as  he  hung  by  his 
glossy  hair  from  the  boughs  of  the  terebinth,  until  this 
Joab  came ;  he,  without  the  sHghtest  compunction,  thrust 
three  arrows  through  his  breast.  O,  he  was  a  bloody 
man !  His  girdle  was  smeared  with  blood ;  his  sandals 
were  sprinkled  with  it.  But  let  even  Joab  have  his  due. 
He  was  loyal  to  his  king,  faithful  always  among  the  faith- 
less. He  scrupled  at  nothing.  When  David  wished  to 
dispose  of  Uriah  he  placed  the  matter  before  his  com- 
mander-in-chief, who  said  at  once,  "  Give  yourself  no 
trouble,  I  will  attend  to  it."  But  now  his  violent  deahng 
came  down  upon  his  own  pate.  The  old  king  was  dying ; 
he  called  Solomon  to  his  bedside,  and  reminding  him  how 
Joab  had  shed  the  blood  of  war  in  time  of  peace  and  had 
put  blood  upon  the  girdle  of  his  loins,  he  added,  *'  Let  not 


90  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

his  hoar  head  go  down  to  the  grave  in  peace."  Accord- 
ingly, while  Jerusalem  was  ringing  with  the  cry,  "  The 
king  is  dead  !  Long  live  the  king  !"  the  order  went  forth, 
"  Let  Joab  die." 

And  whither  shall  he  flee  ?  Not  a  home  in  Jerusalem 
will  harbor  him.  There  is  not  a  cave  in  all  Judaea  where 
he  can  hide  himself.  One  place  only  gives  promise  of 
security — the  sanctuary  at  the  horns  of  the  altar.  It  is 
pleasant  to  reflect  that  God's  altar  has  always  been  a 
refuge  for  the  poor  in  his  distress :  even  "  the  swallow 
hath  found  a  nest  for  herself"  under  its  cornice.  The 
right  of  sanctuary  is  as  old  as  the  church  itself  In  the 
Middle  Ages  all  sorts  of  evil  doers  took  refuge  in  sacred 
places.  Thieves  and  murderers  were  protected  in  the 
convents  for  forty  days,  when  they  were  given  up  to  the 
officers  of  justice.  If,  however,  during  those  forty  days 
the  malefactor  gave  notice  that  he  wished  to  leave  Eng- 
land, he  was  stripped  of  his  outer  garments,  a  crucifix  was 
placed  in  his  hands,  and  he  was  thus  conducted  to  the 
nearest  port.  If  no  ship  was  in  waiting,  he  was  required 
to  walk  into  the  sea  thrice,  up  to  his  throat,  in  the  name  of 
the  Holy  Trinity ;  after  which  the  ship  which  next  ap- 
peared must  give  him  passage  across  the  sea. 

It  was  in  pursuance  of  this  ancient  right  of  sanctuary 
that  Joab  now  clung  trembling  to  the  altar.  Will  this 
save  him  ?  Let  us  leave  him  there  for  a  moment.  There 
are  helpful  lessons  to  be  drawn  from  his  abject  attitude. 
He  is  a  type  of  the  sinner  trembling  under  the  sentence 
of  the  violated  law. 

I.  Here  is  a  suggestion  of  the  ruling  passion.  We 
are  all  cowards  in  the  last  reduction.  Napoleon,  who 
faced  the  allied  armies  of  all  Europe,  was  afraid  of  a 
mouse ;  and  WelHngton,  who  shrank  not  from  confront- 


AT  THE  HORNS  OF  THE  ALTAR.       9 1 

ing  Napoleon,  dared  not  snuff  a  candle,  so  fearful Avas  he 
of  a  little  pain.  Fear  is  the  ruling-  passion  of  the  race. 
The  curse  of  Pashur  has  come  upon  us.  He  was  that 
governor  who  "smote  Jeremiah  the  prophet,  and  put 
him  in  the  stocks."  On  the  morrow  when  the  prophet 
was  released  he  said  unto  him,  "  The  Lord  has  called  thy 
name  Magor-missabib ;"  i.  e.,  **  Fear  all  about  thee,"  and 
from  that  time  the  rustle  of  a  leaf  alarmed  him. 

But  fear  is  a  safeguard  when  there  is  real  danger,  and 
indeed  our  fears  are  oftentimes  well  grounded,  i.  Our  lives 
are  in  danger.  This  orb  on  which  we  live  is  whizzing 
through  space  with  a  rapidity  far  beyond  that  of  the  fast- 
est railway  train.  Its  axial  speed  is  one  thousand  miles 
an  hour ;  its  orbital  speed  is  a  thousand  miles  a  minute. 
Think  of  it !  The  vehicle  is  charged  with  explosives 
and  combustibles.  At  the  centre  is  a  sea  of  molten 
metal.  Every  cubic  inch  of  its  enveloping  ether  has 
in  it  the  potency  of  Euroclydon.  Every  drop  of  dew 
that  falls  upon  its  surface  has  a  sleeping  cyclone  in  it. 
The  pestilence  walketh  in  darkness.  The  rising  dust 
of  the  thoroughfare  is  laden  with  microbes  of  fever.  In 
case  of  an  unexpected  death  we  cry,  "  Strange  that  he 
went  so  suddenly;"  but  in  reality  the  strange  thing 
is  not  that  the  man  dies,  but  that  he  Hves  for  two  con- 
secutive instants.  It  could  not  be  but  for  God's  prov- 
idence. "  In  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being." 
His  eye  is  upon  this  rolling  world.  He  holds  us  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand.  Not  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground 
without  his  notice.  We  go  about  our  common  tasks  with 
a  feeling  of  security  because  we  are  divinely  cared  for. 
We  can  trust  God.  2.  Of  greater  importance,  however, 
is  our  spiritual  danger.  I  say,  "  We  are  sinners,"  and  no 
one  trembles ;  and  yet  every  one  of  us  would  shake  like 


92  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

an  aspen  leaf  if  he  realized  the  full  meaning  of  it,  for  sin  is 
yoked  with  death.  As  it  is  written,  "  The  soul  that  sin- 
neth,  it  shall  die."  Now  and  then  a  man  comes  to  a 
sudden  apprehension  of  this  fact,  and  he  beats  upon  his 
breast  and  utters  a  sudden  cry,  "  God  be  merciful !"  Or, 
Hke  the  jailor  of  Philippi,  "  What  shall  I  do  ?"  If  all  alike, 
at  a  common  instant,  were  to  realize  the  exceeding  sinful- 
ness of  sin,  and  the  tremendous  fact  that  death  comes  fol- 
lowing after,  the  very  wheels  of  commerce  would  stand 
still ;  men  would  be  found  wringing  their  hands  and  kneel- 
ing in  our  streets.  The  cry,  ''Miserere  r  would  be  heard, 
as  during  the  Lisbon  earthquake :  The  Lord  have  mercy 
upon  us  !  As  it  is,  our  ears  are  dull  and  our  eyes  hood- 
winked :  so  we  go  whistling  to  our  tasks  in  the  workshop, 
or  sit  singing  in  our  homes,  as  if  all  were  well — and  the 
great  multitude,  one  a  second,  lock-step,  quick-step,  pass 
out  into  the  night.  This  was  the  tremendous  truth  that 
came  to  Charles  Wesley  while  he  stood  at  Land's  End, 
with  one  ocean  roUing  on  this  side  and  another  on  that : 

"  Lo,  on  a  narrow  neck  of  land, 
'Twixt  two  unbounded  seas,  I  stand, 

Secure,  insensible. 
A  point  of  time,  a  moment's  space, 
Removes  me  to  that  heavenly  place — 

Or  shuts  me  up  in  hell ! 

"  O  God,  my  inmost  soul  convert. 
And  deeply  on  my  thoughtful  heart 

Eternal  things  impress ; 
Give  me  to  feel  their  solemn  weight, 
And  save  me  ere  it  be  too  late  ; 

Wake  me  to  righteousness  !" 

II.    There  is  a  sure  refuge ;  only  one.      Let  us  make 
no  mistake  at  this  point.    The  Lord  says,  "  When  I  shall 


AT  THE  HORNS  OF  THE  ALTAR.       93 

lay  judgment  to  the  line  and  righteousness  to  the  plum- 
met, the  hail  shall  sweep  away  their  refuges  of  lies  and  the 
waters  shall  overthrow  the  hiding-place." 

One  of  these  refuges  of  lies  is  bravado.  There  are 
those  who  speak  lightly  of  death  and  judgment.  I  passed 
but  yesterday  a  group  of  young  men  on  the  corner  of  the 
street ;  they  were  earnestly  engaged  in  conversation  ;  one 
of  them  made  some  startHng  remark,  to  which  another 
responded  in  a  single  word,  and  then  all  laughed.  That 
word  was  "  Hell !"  Only  cowards  do  that.  The  time 
will  come  when  that  young  man,  confronting  the  dread- 
ful reality  of  which  he  spoke  so  bravely,  will  cry  out  for 
mercy  to  God.  It  is  an  awful  thing  to  trifle  with  any 
truth,  but  to  make  merry  about  the  tremendous  things  of 
eternity  is  to  run  upon  the  bosses  of  the  shield  of  God. 

Another  of  the  false  refuges  is  indifference.  It  has 
pleased  God  to  address  us  with  many  voices  of  warning 
and  invitation.  It  is  possible,  however,  to  hush  them  all. 
The  epitaph  of  an  ancient  city  was  written  in  the  words, 
''Deleta  Sileniia.'''  The  legend  runs  that  its  prince,  having 
been  alarmed  once  and  again  without  cause,  gave  com- 
mand that  no  word  of  evil  tidings  should  be  brought  on 
penalty  of  death.  He  spent  his  days  in  comfortable  ease 
and  his  nights  in  pleasure.  The  enemy  came ;  the  sen- 
tinel over  the  gate  saw  the  approaching  host,  yet  dared 
not  sound  the  tocsin.  His  master  was  startled  from  his 
comfort  by  the  shrieks  of  the  dying  when  his  palace 
was  in  flames  and  his  city  in  the  hands  of  his  foes — 
deleta  silentia  —  destroyed  by  silence  !  Thus  many  a 
soul,  suppressing  all  the  kindly  influences  from  above, 
has  gone  on  smiUng  towards  death. 

Another  of  the  refuges  of  lies  is  trust  in  the  divine  indul- 
gence.    "  God  is  love !"     How  fluently  it  falls  from  the 


94  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

lips  of  those  who  otherwise  deride  him.  True,  God  is 
love,  but  God  is  justice  too,  and  hoHness  and  truth.  And 
his  love  and  justice,  his  hoHness  and  truth,  all  ahke  stand 
pledged  to  the  integrity  of  that  law,  "  The  soul  that  sin- 
neth,  it  shall  die."  It  is  not  possible  that  God  by  reason 
of  his  love  should  interfere  with  the  operation  of  the 
just  and  salutary  law,  for  that  would  be  in  the  nature  of 
a  suicidal  act ;  nor  can  he  because  he  loves  men  prevent 
the  sovereign  freedom  of  the"  human  will. 

"Though  God  be  good,  and  free  be  heaven. 

Not  force  divine  can  love  compel ; 
And  though  the  songs  of  sins  forgiven 

May  sound  through  lowest  hell, 
The  sweet  persuasion  of  his  voice 

Respects  the  sanctity  of  will. 
He  giveth  day.     Thou  hast  thy  choice 

To  walk  in  darkness  still." 

Another  of  the  false  shelters  is  self -righteousness. 
Not  now  the  self-righteousness  of  those  who  live  incon- 
sistently within  the  church,  but  of  those  who  lean  upon 
their  personal  merit  and  feel  in  no  need  of  church,  of 
Christian  fellowship,  of  prayer,  or  of  the  mercy  of  God. 
Sin  has  slain  its  thousands,  but  such  morality  its  tens  ol 
thousands.  He  that  keepeth  the  law  shall  indeed  live  by 
it,  but  his  obedience  must  be  flawless,  for  to  offend  in  one 
point  is  to  break  the  whole  law.  No  man  is  without  sin, 
but  no  sin-defiled  man  can  enter  the  kingdom  of  God. 
So  it  is  written,  "  All  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy 
rags."  Our  boasted  merit  is  likened  to  a  broken  reed,  on 
which  if  a  man  lean  it  will  pierce  through  his  hand ;  and 
again,  "  The  bed  is  shorter  than  that  a  man  can  stretch 
himself  upon  it  and  the  covering  is  narrower  than  that  a 
man  can  wrap  himself  in  it."     We  are  sufficientiy  warned. 


AT   THE   HORNS   OF   THE   ALTAR.  95 

"  By  the  deeds  of  the  law  shall  no  flesh  be  justified." 
There  is  no  difference ;  "we  have  all  sinned,  and  come 
short  of  the  glory  of  God." 

And  still  another  of  the  false  refuges  is  the  church. 
No  man  is  saved  by  the  church.  It  is  indeed  a  divine 
institution  and  greatly  loved  of  God.  The  church  is  his 
bride;  He  has  graven  her  name  on  the  palms  of  his 
hands.  It  is  not  the  bride,  however,  but  the  Bridegroom 
that  saves  us.  Thus  Joab  was  torn  from  the  very  horns 
of  the  altar  and  slain.  The  right  of  sanctuary  could  not 
deliver  him.  In  the  last  day  there  will  be  multitudes 
who  will  knock  and  cry,  "  Lord,  Lord,  open  unto  us :  we 
have  worshiped  in  thy  sanctuary:  we  have  been  en- 
rolled in  the  company  of  thy  saints :  we  have  wrought 
many  wonderful  works  in  thy  name."  And  he  from 
within  shall  answer,  **  Depart ;  I  never  knew  you." 

We  come  now  to  the  one  sure  refuge  :  the  cross  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  His  blood  cleanseth,  and  without  the 
shedding  of  blood  there  is  no  remission  of  sin.  He  that 
believeth  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall  be  saved.  His 
word  is  our  assurance :  "  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life, 
and  no  man  shall  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand."  No  grim 
Benaiah  shall  tear  the  penitent  from  this  altar  on  Gol- 
gotha. Death  and  hell  with  their  sinewy  arms  shall  not 
prevail  against  him.  He  is  safe.  Safe  for  ever,  because 
his  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 

At  the  opening  of  the  sixth  seal  the  earth  reels  and 
totters ;  the  heavens  are  rolled  up  like  a  scroll ;  and  the 
stars  fall  as  a  fig-tree  casteth  her  untimely  figs.  Then  all 
the  cemeteries  of  the  earth  yield  up  their  dead  and  multi- 
tudes are  heard  calling  upon  the  rocks  and  the  mountains 
to  fall  upon  them  and  hide  them  from  the  face  of  the  In- 
finite  One.     But   who  are   those,  an   innumerable  host, 


96  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

travelling  towards  the  shining  gates  and  singing  as  they 
go?  These  are  they  that  have  come  up  out  of  great 
tribulation,  and  they  go  to  stand  before  the  throne  of  God 
with  palms  in  their  hands,  because  they  have  washed  their 
robes  in  the  Lamb's  blood  and  made  them  white.  Oh  ! 
may  we  stand  among  them,  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord, 
going  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their 
heads. 

We  point  you  to  Calvary.  There  is  no  other  refuge 
against  the  day  that  trieth  the  souls  of  men.  The  God  of 
the  cross,  with  his  hands  stretched  out,  is  a  help  to  the 
poor  and  the  needy  in  his  distress  ;  a  refuge  from  the 
storm  and  a  shadow  from  the  heat  when  the  blast  of  the 
terrible  ones  is  as  a  storm  against  the  wall. 

"  Beneath  the  cross  of  Jesus 
I  fain  would  take  my  stand — 
The  shadow  of  a  mighty  rock, 
Within  a  weary  land. 
There  lies  beneath  its  shadow, 
But  on  the  further  side, 
The  darkness  of  an  awful  grave 
That  gapes  both  deep  and  wide ; 
And  there  between  us  stands  the  cross, 
Two  arms  outstretched  to  save. 
Like  a  watchman  set  to  guard  the  way 
From  that  eternal  grave. 
O  safe  and  happy  shelter! 
O  refuge  tried  and  sweet ! 
O  trysting-place  where  heaven's  love 
And  heaven's  justice  meet ! 
As  to  the  Holy  Patriarch 
That  wondrous  dream  was  given, 
So  seems  my  Saviour's  cross  to  me 
A  ladder  up  to  heaven." 


"  WE   THREE   KINGS   OF   ORIENT   ARE."  97 

"WE  THREE  KINGS  OF  ORIENT  ARE." 

A  CHRISTMAS  MEDITATION. 


"Seek,  and  ye  shall  find."     Matt.  7:7. 

"  Run  ye  to  and  fro,  and  see   now  if  there  be  any  that  seeketh  the 

truth."    Jer.  5:  i. 
"  For  this  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  our  Saviour, 

who  will  have  al|  men  to  come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the 

truth."     I  Tim.  2:4. 
"Jesus  saith,  '  I  am  the  truth.'  "    John  14:6. 
"  Now  when  Jesus  was  born  in   Bethlehem  of  Judea  in  the  days  of 

Herod  the  king,  behold  there  came  wise  men  from  the  East  to 

Jerusalem,  saying,  '  Where  is  he  that  is  born  king  of  the  Jews  ? 

for  we  have  seen  his  star  in  the  East  and  are  come  to  worship 

him.'"     Matt.  2: 1-2. 

The  king-  of  Judea  was  troubled.  It  was  rumored 
that  about  this  time  a  prince  was  to  be  born,  in  fulfillment 
of  prophecy,  who  would  assume  the  Jewish  throne.  Ta- 
citus declares  that  the  opinion  was  prevalent  in  the  East 
that  the  Messiah  of  Israel  was  about  to  appear.  Virgil 
had  written  his  Fourth  Eclogue,  in  which  he  announced 
the  near  approach  of  the  golden  age.  A  feeling  of  ex- 
pectancy was  prevalent  everywhere.  Herod  was  an  old 
man,  but  still  tenacious  of  his  ill-gotten  power.  He  was 
an  apostate  Jew,  who  long  ago  had  forsaken  the  religion 
of  his  fathers  to  enter  the  service  of  the  Roman  govern- 
ment. His  career  had  been  a  brilliant  one.  A  prothgk  of 
Antony,  he  had,  at  a  very  early  age,  been  made  governor 
of  Galilee  and  afterward  tetrarch  of  Judea.  He  was  a  man 
of  vast  ambition;  shrewd,  cunning,  and  of  violent  pas- 
sions ;  not  above  the  tricks  of  a  demagogue,  he  was  never- 
7 


98  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

theless  possessed  of  much  cleverness  and  a  vast  executive 
ability.  To  please  his  royal  master,  he  built  the  splendid 
city  of  Caesarea.  To  conciliate  the  Jews,  whom  he  hated, 
he  rebuilt  their  temple  and  splendidly  adorned  it. 

In  the  porch  of  this  temple  the  old  king  was  walking 
on  a  February  morning  nearly  1,900  years  ago.  His 
purple  robes  sparkled  with  gems  and  precious  stones ;  a 
glorious  ruby  blazed  in  his  turban ;  but  his  resdess  eyes 
betrayed  a  troubled  heart.  Off  yonder,  beyond  the  Ked- 
ron,  a  group  of  venerable  strangers  drew  near;  their  long 
garments  covered  with  dust.  They  would  have  attracted 
attention  anywhere.  Entering  at  the  eastern  or  Shushan 
gate  they  climbed  the  marble  stairway  of  the  temple, 
entered  Solomon's  porch,  and  would  have  passed  on  into 
the  inner  courts  but  for  the  admonition  of  a  Levite,  who 
pointed  to  an  inscription  on  the  middle  wall  of  partition : 
"Let  no  Gentile  or  unclean  person  enter  here  under  penalty 
of  death."  Arrested  by  this  rebuff,  they  said,  "  We 
have  come  from  the  far  East,  seeking  him  who  is  born 
King  of  the  Jews.  Tell  us  where  we  may  find  him." 
A  moment  later  they  were  engaged  in  conversation 
with  Herod.  "  Whence  come  ye ?"  "From  the  East." 
"  And  your  errand  ?"  "  To  find  the  promised  King 
of  the  Jews."  "  It  is  a  fool's  errand ;  I  alone  am  king 
of  the  Jews."  "  Nay,  we  cannot  be  mistaken,  for  we 
have  come  under  divine  guidance."  And  thereupon  they 
told  tjieir  story  —  how  as  they  were  watching  the  stars 
according  to  their  custom,  and  meditating  on  the  great 
promise  of  the  coming  Deliverer,  a  new  luminary  wheeled 
into  view  and  seemed  to  beckon  them.  Was  this  a  har- 
binger of  that  event  for  which  they  looked  ?  While  they 
wondered,  it  moved  on  towards  the  west  and  they  arose 
and  followed  it.     Their  hope  had  been  that  the  Jewish 


"  WE   THREE    KINGS   OF   ORIENT   ARE.  '  99 

Prince  would  be  found  in  the  Holy  City,  and  they  were 
amazed  to  find  that  nothing  was  here  known  of  him. 
The  wise  men  were  detained  while  at  Herod's  order  the 
members  of  the  Sanhedrin  came  together  to  consult  as  to 
the  rumored  birth  of  this  prince.  They  agreed  as  to  the 
prophecy ;  the  event  was  to  occur  in  Bethlehem  :  "  And 
thou,  Bethlehem,  in  the  land  of  Juda,  art  not  the  least 
among  the  princes  of  Judah,  for  out  of  thee  shall  come 
a  Governor  that  shall  rule  my  people  Israel."  The  wise 
men  were  then  permitted  to  resume  their  journey,  with  a 
parting  injunction  that  they  should  return  and  report  as 
to  the  success  of  their  singular  quest.  As  they  set  out, 
lo,  yonder  in  the  heavens  the  star  moved  along  before 
them,  and  they  followed  with  great  joy. 

We  may  find  profit  in  the  contemplation  ol  these  pil-_ 
grims.  s  From  time  immemorial  they  have  been  regarded     '■ 

as  kings  : 

"We  three  kings  of  Orient  are, 
Bearing  gifts,  we  traverse  afar 
Field  and  fountain,  moor  and  mountain. 
Following  yonder  star." 

In  the  cathedral  at  Cologne  there  is  a  golden  reUquary  in 
which  are  preserved,  in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  the  relics 
of  these  men.  I  said  to  the  venerable  monk  in  attend- 
ance, "  Do  you  really  believe  that  these  are  the  reHcs  of 
the  wise  men?"  "Oh,  yes,"  he  replied,  "there  is  no 
question  whatever  as  to  their  genuineness ;  we  know  their 
names— Caspar,  Melchior,  and  Balthazar.  The  Venerable 
Bede  tells  all  about  them."  .  There  is,  however,  a  consid- 
erable doubt — to  put  it  mildly — as  to  the  trustworthiness 
of  the  legends  which  have  gathered  about  these  Magi. 
We  have  no  reason  to  suppose  they  were  kings,  but  we 
know  they  were  truth-seekers ;  and,  as  Cromwell  said  to 


lOO  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

his  daughter,  "  To  be  a  truth-seeker  is  to  be  one  of  the 
best  sect,  next  to  a  truth-finder." 

I.  The  quest.  Wisdom  is  the  principal  thing,  and 
there  is  nothing  better  than  to  get  understanding.  All 
truth  is  worth  having.  We  blame  our  children  for  being 
inquisitive.  But  why  ?  John  Locke  said,  "  The  way  to 
get  knowledge  is  to  ask  questions."  A  wiser  still  has 
said,  "  Seek,  and  ye  shall  find."  The  cure  for  doubt 
is  not  a  hoodwink,  but  a  telescope.  All  truth  is  worth 
the  having,  and,  therefore,  worth  the  seeking.  "  Eureka  !" 
cried  Archimedes  over  a  certain  mathematical  discovery. 
In  all  the  world  there  is  no  pursuit  so  ennobling,  so  in- 
spiring and  so  gladdening  as  the  pursuit  of  truth.  This 
holds  in  all  the  provinces,  but  especially  in  the  province 
of  spiritual  things. 

It  is  related  of  Edmund  of  Canterbury,  who  was 
deeply  interested  in  secular  researches,  that  one  night  as 
he  was  poring  over  an  ancient  parchment  the  spirit  of 
his  dead  mother  came  to  him  and  made  three  circles  upon 
the  palm  of  his  hand,  in  token  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  saying 
as  she  vanished,  "  Be  this  the  purpose  of  thy  Hfe."  These 
three  circles  do  indeed  embrace  all.  The  fear  of  the  Lord 
is  the  beginning  of  wisdom — and  the  end  also.  God  is 
Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  end.  To  know 
him  is  life  eternal. 

A  man  is  in  his  noblest  attitude  v/hen  confronting  the 
great  spiritual  verities.  In  this  we  are  distinguished  from 
the  lower  orders  of  life.  We  are  able  to  touch  the  tre- 
mendous problems  and  measurably  to  solve  them ;  and 
herein  is  the  sweetest  of  life's  delights.  Lord  Bacon  said, 
"  It  is  a  pleasure  to  stand  upon  the  shore  and  see  ships 
tossing  far  away  upon  the  sea ;  it  is  a  pleasure  to  stand  in 
the  castle  window  and  look  down  upon  the  battle  and  the 


'*  WE   THREE   KINGS   OF   ORIENT   ARE."         lOI 

adventures  thereof;  but  no  pleasure  is  comparable  to  the 
standing  upon  the  vantage  ground  of  truth  and  beholding 
spiritual  things." 

II.  The  harbinger.  God  helps  every  man  who  ear- 
nestly desires  to  solve  the  problem  of  destiny.  To  these 
wise  men  he  gave  the  guiding  star.  A  vast  amount  of 
erudition  has  been  spent  in  the  attempt  to  get  rid  of  the 
supernatural  in  these  premises.  It  is  said  that  a  remark- 
able conjunction  of  certain  planets  occurred  at  about  this 
time.  In  1604  Kepler  saw  in  the  heavens  a  phenomenon 
which  occurs  only  once  in  nearly  a  thousand  years  :  Sat- 
urn and  Jupiter  were  in  conjunction  ;  presently  Mars  also 
wheeled  into  line,  thus  forming  "  a  nery  Trygon  in  Pisces." 
The  constellation  of  Pisces,  or  the  Fish,  was  regarded  as 
symbolical  of  Judea.  The  fish  was  also  used  by  the  early 
Christians  as  an  anagram  of  Christ.  Thus  the  "  fiery  Try- 
gon "  was  identified  with  the  star  of  Bethlehem.  It  is  a 
fascinating  hypothesis,  but  unfortunately  (i)  it  did  not 
occur  at  the  precise  time  of  the  advent ;  and  (2)  being  at 
an  altitude  of  fifty-seven  degrees  it  could  not  have 
paused  over  a  village  or  a  particular  home.  We  are, 
therefore,  led  to  regard  the  star  as  a  special  messenger — 
an  angel  with  a  torch,  as  it  were — sent  to  direct  these 
wise  men  in  their  earnest  quest.  So  God  interposes 
in  behalf  of  every  sincere  seeker  for  truth.  "Seek,  and 
ye  shall  find."  Seek,  good  friend,  and  you  shall  find. 
God  is  on  your  side.     Be  of  good  courage. 

It  was  many  years  ago  that  a  butcher's  boy  went  sing- 
ing ribald  songs  about  the  streets  of  Nottingham.  A  taste 
for  knowledge  brought  him  to  Cambridge  University, 
where  he  distinguished  himself  not  only  for  his  cleverness 
as  a  student  but  as  a  reviler  of  Christ.  By  the  unexpect- 
ed death  of  a  companion  he  was  brought  to  think  seri- 


I02  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

ously  of  eternal  things ;  his  sins  weighed  heavily  upon 
him ;  but  at  Calvary  he  found  pardon.  In  the  early  flush 
of  his  conversion  he  wrote  his  gratitude  in  the  familiar 
hymn : 

"  Once  on  the  raging  seas  I  rode  ; 

The  storm  was  loud,  the  night  was  dark, 
The  ocean  yawned,  and  rudely  blowed 

The  wind  that  tossed  my  foundering  bark. 
Deep  horror  then  my  vitals  froze; 

Death-struck,  I  ceased  the  tide  to  stem, 
When  suddenly  a  star  arose  : 
It  was  th6  Star  of  Bethlehem  ! 

"  It  was  my  guide,  my  light,  my  all ; 

It  bade  my  dark  forebodings  cease. 
And  through  the  storm  and  danger's  thrall 

It  led  me  to  the  port  of  peace. 
Now  safely  moored,  my  perils  o'er, 

I'll  sing,  first  in  night's  diadem, 
For  ever  and  forevermore. 

The  Star,  the  Star  of  Bethlehem  !" 

God  never  yet  left  a  man  in  the  lurch  who  sincerely  desired 
to  solve  the  problem  of  destiny.  It  is  a  true  saying,  "  A 
seeking  sinner  finds  a  seeking  Saviour."  Somewhere  in 
heaven  the  star  is  set  that  calls  and  beckons  to  the  fount- 
ain of  life. 

III.  The  treHsure-trove.  The  wise  men  have  reached 
their  destination.  All  the  divinely  kindled  stars  lead  to 
Bethlehem.  Here  is  the  end  of  the  great  quest.  The 
star  that  guided  the  Magi  rested  over  a  humble  cottage. 
They  entered  and  found  the  Christ-child — a  child  upon 
its  mother's  breast !  Is  that  all  ?  Ay,  all — and  everything  ! 
In  this  child  all  the  streams  of  prophecy  converge.  From 
this  child  radiate  all  the  glowing  lines  of  history.  On  the 
walls  of  the  palace  at  Versailles,  in  a  series  of  magnificent 
battle  scenes,  are  portrayed  the  glories  of  France.    In  this 


"WE   THREE   KINGS   OF   ORIENT   ARE."         IO3 

humble  home  at  Bethlehem  all  the  hopes  of  Abraham,  the 
dreams  of  David  and  the  visions  of  Isaiah  are  realized. 
This  cottage  is  the  centre  of  the  world. 

Are  you,  friend,  seeking  the  truth  ?  Follow  your  star. 
Hearken  when  God  speaks.  "  There  are  so  many  voices, 
and  none  of  them  is  without  signification."  It  is  easy  to 
quench  all  lights,  to  hush  all  voices ;  but  hearken  and 
give  heed.  Bethlehem  is  not  far  ahead.  "  Press  on  !"  as 
Cromwell,  the  Lord  Protector,  said  to  his  daughter,  "  press 
on,  dear  heart,  and  thou  shalt  find  the  satisfying  portion. 
Let  nothing  cool  thine  ardor  until  thou  find  it." 

So  here  are  the  Magi  opening  their  packs  before  the 
Christ-child.  The  search  is  over ;  the  problem  of  destiny 
is  solved.  Here  is  gold  for  the  King ;  here  is  myrrh  for 
the  Victor ;  here  is  frankincense  for  very  God  of  very 
God.  We  are  passing  through  the  days  of  giving.  We 
are  celebrating  now  the  infinite  grace  that  lavished  upon 
us  the  unspeakable  gift,  and  what  shall  we  render  in  re- 
turn ?  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  his  great  mercy,  that 
ye  present  yourselves,  a  living  sacrifice  :  which  is  your 
reasonable  service.     The  best  is  none  too  good  for  God. 


I04  THE    RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

SANDALS  FOR  THE  JOURNEY 

A  NEW  YEAR'S  MEDITATION. 


"  Thy  shoes  shall  be  iron  and  brass ;  and  as  thy  days,  so  shall  thy 
strength  be."     Deut.  33:25. 

The  long  journey  was  over.  For  a  period  of  forty 
weary  years  the  children  of  Israel  had  been  going-  to  and 
fro  through  the  wilderness  on  their  way  to  the  promised 
land.  The  infants  that  had  been  carried  out  of  Egypt  in 
their  mothers'  arms  were  full-grown  men  and  women. 
The  desert  path  was  lined  on  either  side  with  graves.  The 
word  now  comes  to  Moses,  "Behold,  the  days  approach 
that  thou  must  die."  He  maps  out  the  promised  inherit- 
ance and  assigns  it.  He  delivers  the  book  of  Deuteron- 
omy as  his  valedictory  to  the  people,  and  then  sets  out 
alone  upon  the  mountain  path.  He  betrays  no  tokens  of 
age.  His  step  is  light,  his  eye  undimmed,  and  his  natural 
force  unabated.  The  people  watch  him  as  he  climbs  to- 
wards the  summit  of  Nebo.  He  pauses,  at  length,  and 
looks  about  him.  The  white  tents  are  below  him  in  the 
valley.  To  the  south  lies  the  wilderness  ;  to  the  west  the 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  It  is  said  that  under 
such  conditions  a  man's  life  passes  swiftly  before  him ;  it 
may  be  that  Moses  lived  over  again  his  sojourn  in  the  palace 
of  the  Pharaohs  and  the  years  of  waiting  in  the  Desert  of 
Midian.  He  saw  again  the  burning  bush  ;  he  stood  again 
before  the  murmuring  people  at  Rephidim,  and  smote  the 
rock  in  anger.     He  lifted  his  eyes  toward  the  green  fields 


SANDALS   FOR   THE   JOURNEY.  I05 

beyond  the  Jordan.  Oh,  if  he  might  but  enter  in  !  Then 
the  earthly  scene  faded  from  his  sight.  Far  in  the  heavens 
was  heard  the  singing  of  the  angels  ;  the  air  was  filled  with 
the  rustling  of  wings  ;  the  sound  waxed  louder  and  louder ; 
it  rolled  over  him,  folded  him  in,  caught  him  up,  and  lo ! 
Moses  was  at  home  with  God ! 

It  was  as  he  climbed  the  mountain  path  that  he  turned 
to  lay  his  benediction  on  the  tribes.  Is  it  not  strange  that, 
of  all  the  blessings,  the  best  was  that  which  fell  to  Asher : 
the  tribe  that  had  wrought  no  memorable  deed,  out  of 
which  had  come  no  hero  or  mighty  one  ?  Great  was  the 
blessing  on  little  Benjamin  :  "  He  shall  dwell  between  the 
Lord's  shoulders."  And  that  of  Joseph,  "  His  horns  shall 
be  like  the  horns  of  a  unicorn,  with  which  he  shall  push 
his  enemies."  And  of  Zebulun,  "  The  abundance  of  the 
seas  and  treasures  hid  in  the  sands  "  shall  be  his.  And 
Jeshurun,  "  The  eternal  God  is  thy  refuge,  and  underneath 
are  the  everlasting  arms."  But  with  the  memory  of  that 
long  journey  in  mind,  the  thirst  and  weariness,  the  blazing 
sun,  the  scorching  sands,  there  was  no  blessing  like  this : 
*'  Thy  shoes  shall  be  iron  and  brass  under  thy  feet ;  and 
as  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be." 

We  stand  at  the  threshold  of  another  year.  The  past 
is  irrevocable.  The  Lord  grant  pardon  for  all  its  sins  and 
short-comings !  The  future  is  before  us.  We  may  not 
draw  the  curtain.  It  is  a  terra  mcognita—2Xi  unknown 
land.     How  shall  we  prepare  ourselves  to  go  up  into  it  ? 

I.  We  kiiow  that  tasks  await  us.  The  life  of  a  true 
disciple  of  Christ  is  not  a  sinecure.  His  prayer  for  us  is 
that  we  may  bear  fruit — much  fruit — more  fruit.  Mere 
passive  piety  is  scarcely  better  than  none  at  all.  If  we  are 
followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  we  may  not  shrink  from 
cares  and  burdens  and  resnonsibilities.     Yet  who  is  suffi- 


I06  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

cient  for  these  things  ?  If  we  set  out  alone  and  unpre- 
pared the  journey  will  be  too  much  for  us. 

We  need  a  pair  of  sandals.  Here  they  are — weakness 
and  strength.  Plato  said,  **  Self-dependence  is  the  secret 
of  a  successful  Hfe."  On  the  contrary,  it  brings  a  sure 
failure.  Did  you  ever  try  to  pluck  a  cockle  from  the 
rocks  ?  It  is  the  very  symbol  of  weakness,  and  yet  it  re- 
sists all  your  efforts  to  disturb  it.  The  tempest  that  thun- 
ders against  the  rocks  rolls  past  without  dislodging  it. 
Where  is  the  secret  of  its  strength  ?  Its  weakness.  The 
vacuum  beneath  this  tiny  shell  is  what  secures  it.  So  it 
is  the  emptying  of  a  Christian  soul  that  prepares  it  for  the 
enduement  of  strength.  When  I  am  weak  then  am  I 
strong.  My  weakness — God's  strength ;  these  are  the 
sandals  wherewith  we  journey  successfully  along  the  path 
of  duty.  Here  is  the  secret  of  Paul's  efficiency.  He  was 
troubled  with  a  thorn  in  the  flesh.  It  may  have  been  some 
physical  infirmity,  as  many  suppose ;  or  it  may  have  been 
a  repugnant  duty,  or  a  responsibility  beyond  his  seeming 
strength.  Of  this  thing  he  says,  "  I  besought  the  Lord 
thrice  that  it  might  depart  from  me."  In  vain  ;  it  was  the 
Lord's  pleasure  that  his  disciple  should  bear  this  burden. 
Wherefore  he  said,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee ;  for 
my  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness."  Then  Paul 
began  to  sing,  "  Most  gladly  will  I  glory  in  my  infirmity, 
that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  me."  He  had 
added  to  a  sense  of  personal  weakness  an  assurance  of 
divine  strength,  and  thus  shod  for  duty  he  might  fear- 
lessly approach  his  tasks  :  **  I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities, 
in  reproaches,  in  necessities,  for  Christ's  sake ;  for  when  I 
am  weak  then  am  I  strong." 

II.  Temptations  are  before  us.  This  must  needs  be. 
The  grapes  must    be   pressed  or  there  will  be  no  wine. 


SANDALS   FOR   THE   JOURNEY.  lO/ 

The  gold  must  be  tried  in  the  furnace.  The  bell  must  be 
beaten  with  sledges  before  it  is  hung  in  the  tower.  Blessed 
is  the  man  that  endureth  temptation,  for  when  he  is  tried 
he  shall  receive — character  ;  the  crown  of  life. 

Here  again  we  are  provided  with  a  pair  of  sandals  ;  to 
wit,  a  present  God  and  a  true  Bible.  We  are  never  alone 
in  the  hour  of  trial  unless  we  choose  to  be.  A  wrong- 
doer says,  "  I  could  n't  help  it ;  the  temptation  was  great- 
er than  I  could  bear."  This  is  not  true.  It  is  never  true. 
The  word  of  the  Lord  assures  us  to  the  contrary.  "  God  is 
faithful,  who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that 
ye  are  able,  but  will  with  the  temptation  make  a  way 
of  escape,  that  ye  may  be  able  to  bear  it."  The  old 
story  of  the  three  Babylonish  youths  is  ever  being  re- 
peated. They  were  true  to  principle  :  "  Be  it  known 
unto  thee,  O  king,  that  we  will  not  serve  thy  gods ;  and 
the  form  of  the  king's  visage  was  changed  against  them. 
The  furnace  was  heated  "  seven  times  more  than  it  was 
wont  to  be  heated  "  and  the  faithful  youths  were  cast  into 
the  midst  of  it ;  but  the  fire  would  not  kindle  upon  them. 
In  the  midst  of  it  they  walked  unscathed — in  their  coats, 
their  hosen,  and  their  hats.  Then  the  king  was  aston- 
ished, and  rose  up  in  haste,  and  cried,  "  Did  ye  not  cast 
three  men  into  the  midst  of  the  fire  ?  Lo,  there  are  four, 
and  the  form  of  the  fourth  is  Hke  the  Son  of  God."  Nay, 
the  fourth  was  the  Son  of  God ;  the  same  whose  promise 
is  sure  for  ever:  "  Lo,  lam  with  you  alway;  I  will  not 
leave  you  alone,  I  will  come  to  you."  If  we  yield  to  temp- 
tation it  is  because  we  refuse  his  help.  For  he  is  not  far 
from  every  one  of  us. 

But  for  our  double  strengthening  we  have,  besides  this 
present  Christ,  the  strong  staff  of  his  word  to  lean  on. 
He    himself  took  with   him  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  when 


i08  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

he  went  out  into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted.  Thrice  it 
flashed  in  the  air — "  It  is  written,  "  Man  shall  not  live  by- 
bread  alone ;"  "  It  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord 
thy  God ;  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve ;"  "It  is  written, 
Thou  shalt  not  tempt  the  Lord  thy  God  " — and  thrice  the 
adversary  fell  back  before  it.  Let  the  mind  that  was  in 
Christ  Jesus  be  also  in  us.  If  a  man  lose  his  confidence 
in  the  Scriptures  as  the  veritable  word  of  God  he  is  like 
a  soldier  whose  sword  is  broken  at  the  hilt.  Stand  fast 
by  the  oracles,  O  follower  of  Christ!  It  is  poor  busi- 
ness for  a  believer  to  join  in  belated  controversies  as  to 
the  truth  of  the  Scriptures.  The  Lord  himself  spoke 
never  a  word  against  the  integrity  of  the  book,  but  used 
it,  expounded  it,  beheved  it,  gloried  in  it.  The  disciple 
is  not  above  his  Lord.  If  you  would  be  strong  in  the 
bitter  hour  of  trial,  drink  at  the  crystal  stream  that  "flows 
fast  by  the  oracles  of  God."  A  Bible  Christian  is  a  strong 
Christian.  Be  shod  with  this  preparation  of  the  gospel — 
this  pair  of  sandals  :  a  present  God,  a  trustv/orthy  Bible — 
that  you  may  withstand  in  the  evil  day. 

III.  There  are  sorrows  before  us.  And  where  shall 
we  find  comfort  ?  It  is  but  grim  consolation  to  say,  with 
Eliphaz,  "  Man  is  born  to  trouble,  as  the  sparks  fly  up- 
ward." There  is  a  point  where  the  proverb  "  Misery 
loves  company  "  ceases  to  avail  and  stoicism  becomes  a 
broken  reed.  It  is  related  that  a  Hindoo  mother,  be- 
reaved in  the  death  of  her  only  child,  took  the  little  body 
in  her  arms  and  went  to  and  fro  among  the  sacred  teach- 
ers asking  for  something  to  restore  its  life.  One  of  the 
sages  said  to  her,  "  Pluck  a  handful  of  mustard  from  the 
garden  of  a  home  where  sorrow  never  entered."  Up  and 
down  the  bereaved  mother  went  in  vain.  One  home  was 
mourning  for  a  father,  another  for  a  child ;  but  none  was 


SANDALS    FOR   THE    JOURNEY.  I09 

found  where  sorrow  had  not  entered.  At  length  she 
came  to  the  Buddha  and  told  her  pitiful  tale.  "  The  dead 
are  many,"  said  he,  "  the  living  are  few  ;  go  find  thy  com- 
fort in  tears."  Is  this  the  best  that  the  Chrisdess  world 
can  offer  ?     Aye.     But  there  is  something  better  for  us. 

A  pair  of  sandals  for  sorrow.  Namely — God  knows  ; 
and,  it  shall  work  for  us  afar  more  exceedi7ig  arid  eternal 
weight  of  glory.  Aye,  God  knows.  There  is  blessed 
strength  in  that.  A  lad  in  one  of  our  deaf  and  dumb  asy- 
lums was  asked  by  a  visitor,  "Who  made  the  world?" 
He  wrote  upon  his  slate,  "  In  the  beginning  God  created 
the  heavens  and  the  earth."  Then  he  was  asked,  "  How 
do  you  hope  to  be  saved  ?"  To  which  he  answered, 
"  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation, 
that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners." 
Once  more  :  "  How  is  it  that,  when  the  world  is  full  of 
happy  children,  you  have  been  deprived  of  speech  and 
hearing?"  The  lad  wrote  in  reply,  "Even  so,  Father, 
for  so  it  seemeth  good  in  thy  sight."  This  is  coming  near 
to  the  Infinite  Heart.  This  is  drinking  out  of  the  wells  of 
salvation  indeed.  God  is  not  the  author  of  our  calamities. 
He  does  not  go  up  and  down  scattering  the  germs  of  pes- 
tilence ;  this  is  the  devil's  work.  But  there  is  a  sense  in 
which  God  is  present  always  in  the  midst  of  pain  and 
sorrow.  It  does  not  spring  up  out  of  the  ground.  It 
does  not  come  to  pass  without  his  permissive  decree.  He 
controls  it,  restrains  it,  and  in  the  long  run  makes  all 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  him. 

And  our  affliction  after  all  is  "  light,  and  but  for  a  mo- 
ment," in  view  of  what  lies  beyond.  A  glance  at  the  starry 
heavens  reveals  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  worlds, 
and  the  longer  we  gaze  the  more  come  wheeling  into 
view.     "  The  floor  of  heaven  is  thick  inlaid  with  patines 


no  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

of  bright  gold."  Our  world  is  one  of  millions  —  count- 
less millions,  floating  like  a  vast  armada  on  yonder  infi- 
nite sea.  How  little  this  world  seems.  How  infinitesimal ! 
So  is  time  in  relation  to  eternity.  So  is  the  pain  of  to- 
day to  the  glory  of  to-morrow.  Our  life  is  but  a  hand- 
breadth.  Eternity ;  eternity ;  how  long  art  thou  !  The 
soul  that  has  fled  this  moment  from  the  vicissitudes 
of  time  into  the  glories  of  the  unseen  world  is  looking 
back  and  wondering ;  wondering,  above  all,  that  the  pains 
and  heartaches  seemed  so  vast  and  insufferable.  Oh ! 
friends,  they  are  light.  They  are  but  for  a  moment.  The 
pearly  gates  throw  their  light  this  way.  The  hands  of 
the  angels  beckon  to  a  world  where  tears  are  wiped  away 
forever.  We  can  wait  and  be  patient.  "  Bide  a  wee  and 
dinna  fret."     Heaven  is  not  far  off". 

Thus  we  set  out,  shod  with  the  preparation  of  the  gos- 
pel, to  meet  the  tasks  and  duties  and  sorrows  of  the  year. 
"  Fear  not,"  saith  the  Lord,  "  I  will  be  with  thee ;  be  not 
dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God ;  I  will  strengthen  thee ;  yea, 
I  will  help  thee ;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right 
hand  of  my  righteousness." 

Let  us  make  sure,  however,  that  we  set  out  aright. 
The  beginning  of  a  journey  is  in  taking  the  first  step.  No 
man  is  ready  to  meet  the  vicissitudes  of  the  coming  year 
who  has  not  thrown  off  his  burden  of  sin.  When  Chris- 
tian set  out  from  the  City  of  Destruction  he  bore  his  bur- 
den with  him  until  he  came  to  a  hill  on  which  was  a  cross, 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  an  open  sepulchre.  As  he 
drew  nigh  his  load  was  loosened  from  his  shoulders  and 
rolled  into  the  sepulchre,  where,  as  he  says,  "  It  fell  in,  and 
I  saw  it  no  more."  Then  was  his  heart  glad  and  light- 
some, and  he  cried,  "  He  hath  given  me  rest  by  his  sor- 
row, and  life  by  his  death."     For  a  while  he  gazed  in 


SANDALS   FOR   THE   JOURNEY.  Ill 

wonder  at  the  cross,  and  when  he  turned  three  shining 
ones  stood  beside  him.  One  said,  "  Thy  sins  be  for- 
given ;"  another,  "  Peace  be  unto  thee ;"  and  the  third 
gave  him  a  scroll  with  a  seal  upon  it.  Then  the  pilgrim 
gave  three  leaps  for  joy  and  went  on  singing ;  and  this 
was  his  song : 

"  Thus  far  did  I  come  laden  with  my  sin, 
Nor  could  aught  ease  the  grief  that  I  was  in 
Till  I  came  hither.    What  a  place  is  this  ! 
Must  here  be  the  beginning  of  my  bliss  ? 
Must  here  the  burden  fall  off  from  my  back? 
Must  here  the  strings  that  bound  it  to  me  crack  ? 
Blest  cross !  blest  sepulchre  !  blest  rather  be 
The  Man  that  there  was  put  to  shame  for  me  ! 


12  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


THE  DUTY  OF  FAULT-FINDING. 


"  Brother,  let  me  pull  out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye."     Matt.  7:4. 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  was  everybody's  sermon. 
All  kinds  of  people  were  in  the  congregation.  The  Mas- 
ter had  a  word  for  the  poor,  the  weary  and  heavy-laden, 
the  persecuted — and  for  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 
In  one  particular  all  the  members  of  that  congregation 
were  alike ;  i.  e.,  they  were  all  sinners.  Some  of  them 
were  unclean,  others  dishonest ;  some  were  addicted  to 
one  vice,  others  to  another  ;  but  all  ahke  had  broken  the 
mor-al  law.  But  on  the  outskirts  of  the  company  were 
certain  Pharisees  v/ho  thought  themselves  to  be  better 
than  others,  and  were  universal  censors — cynical,  fastid- 
ious, contemptuous,  and  hypercritical.  Here  is  the 
Preacher's  word  for  them:  "Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not 
judged.  For  with  what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be 
judged :  and  with  what  measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again.  And  why  beholdest  thou  the 
mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the 
beam  that  is  in  thine  own  eye  ?  Or,  how  wilt  thou  say  to 
thy  brother.  Let  me  pull  out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye ; 
and,  behold,  a  beam  is  in  thine  own  eye?  Thou  hypo- 
crite, first  cast  out  the  beam  out  of  thine  own  eye ;  and 
then  shalt  thou  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thy 
brother's  eye." 

The  fault-finders,  hke  the  poor,  "are  always  with  us." 
It  is  related  that  when  the  gods  had  determined  to  en- 
gage in  the  work  of  creation  Jupiter  made  a  man,  Nep- 


THE   DUTY   OF   FAULT-FINDING.  II3 

tune  a  bull,  and  Minerva  a  house.  Momus,  standing  by, 
found  fault  with  the  man  because  he  had  no  window  in 
his  breast ;  with  the  bull  because  its  horns  were  not  under 
its  eyes  ;  and  with  the  house  because  it  was  not  upon 
wheels,  so  that  its  inmates  might  move  away  from  un- 
pleasant neighbors.  For  this  Momus  was  cast  out  of  the 
divine  councils,  and  ever  since  he  has  been  among  us. 
There  are  multitudes  of  people  who,  while  doing  nothing 
worth  mentioning  themselves,  are  clever  in  criticising  the 
busy  ones. 

It  must  not  be  thought,  however,  that  fault-finding  is 
in  itself  a  sin.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  a  duty.  In  the  Le- 
vitical  law  it  was  required  :  "  Thou  shalt  in  any  wise  re- 
buke thy  neighbor,  and  not  suffer  sin  upon  him."  It  is 
enjoined  also  under  the  new  economy  :  "  Reprove,  re- 
buke, with  all  long-suffering  and  doctrine."  But  there  is 
everything  in  the  art  of  putting  things.  A  duty  may  be- 
come a  sin  if  wrongfully  done.  Hov/,  then,  shall  we  rightly 
go  about  this  matter  ?  How  shall  we  find  fault  with  our 
neighbors  in  such  a  manner  as  to  help  them  and  please 
God? 

I.  ''Cast  07it  the  beam  out  of  tJmie  own  eye ^  for  it 
the  blind  lead  the  blind  they  shall  both  fall  into  the 
ditch. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood,  however,  that  perfection  is 
required  in  the  fault  -  finder,  for  in  this  case  no  one 
among  us  could  discharge  the  duty.  We  are  all  alike 
and  there  is  no  difference;  we  have  all  sinned,  and 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.  There  is  a  Spanish 
proverb,  "  If  our  faults  were  written  on  our  foreheads  we 
should  all  have  to  go  with  our  hats  pulled  over  our  eyes." 
But  it  is  required  that  before  a  man  shall  rebuke  another, 
in  any  matter  whatsoever,  he  shall,  at  the  least,  rid  him- 

The  Religion  of  the   Future,  8 


114  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

self  of  that  particular  sin.  As  it  is  written,  *'  Wherefore 
thou  art  inexcusable,  O  man,  whosoever  thou  art  that 
judgest ;  for  wherein  thou  judgest  another  thou  condemn- 
est  thyself,  because  thou  doest  the  same  thing."  Do  not 
preach  temperance  with  a  flask  in  your  pocket.  Do  not 
advocate  social  purity  while  your  lips  are  blistered  by  the 
telling  of  unclean  tales.  Do  not  prate  about  political  re- 
form if  you  remained  away  from  the  polls  on  last  election 
day. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  we  are  prone  to  criticise  in 
others  the  faults  to  which  we  ourselves  are  most  liable. 
It  takes  a  rogue  to  catch  a  rogue.  In  one  of  our  lunatic 
asylums  there  is  a  poor  fellow  who  reached  the  depths  of 
folly  by  squandering  his  inheritance  and  dethroning  his 
intellect,  and  his  finger  is  pointed  at  every  visitor  with 
the  words,  "  God  save  the  fool !"  So  before  we  under- 
take this  duty  let  us  heed  the  injunction,  "  Physician,  heal 
thyself" 

II.  Come  out  from  your  covert :  "  If  thy  brother  shall 
trespass  against  thee,  go  and  tell  him  his  fault  between 
him  and  thee  alone."  The  greatest  evil  is  wrought  by 
hints  and  innuendoes.  Swift  speaks  of  certain  people 
who 

"  Convey  a  libel  in  a  frown, 

And  wink  a  reputation  down  ; 

Or  by  the  tossing  of  a  fan 

Describe  the  lady  and  the  man." 

Let  us  be  frank  and  generous  here.  A  says  to  B  that  C 
has  been  misbehaving  himself.  Then  Mrs.  A  canvasses 
the  matter  with  Mrs.  B  over  their  tea-cups,  and  presendy 
the  neighborhood  is  by  the  ears.  Gossip  is  epicene : 
both  sexes  are  alike  addicted  to  it,  and  there  is  nothing 
meaner  in  all  the  catalogue  of  sins.    Hear  the  law  :  "  Thou 


THE   DUTY    OF   FAULT-FINDING.  II 5 

shalt  not  go  up  and  down  as  a  tale-bearer  among  thy  peo- 
ple :  I  am  the  Lord."     Lev.  19 :  16. 

The  meanest  man  of  the  olden  time  was  Shimei,  who 
had  been  befriended  and  honored  by  King  David;  but 
when  adversity  came,  and  the  king,  with  his  little  retinue 
of  faithful  followers,  went  down  across  the  Kedron  bare- 
foot and  casting  ashes  upon  his  head,  then  Shimei  from 
behind  the  hedge  cast  stones  at  him,  and  cried,  "  Come 
out,  come  out,  thou  man  of  Behal !"  The  faithful  Abishai 
asked,  *'  Let  me  go  over,  I  pray  thee,  and  take  off  the  head 
of  this  dog."  But  the  generous  king  said,  "  It  is  not 
worth  while."  Set  over  against  that  the  instance  of  Paul, 
who,  when  satisfied  that  Peter  in  withdrawing  from  the 
company  of  the  Gentiles  had  proven  false  to  his  princi- 
ples, sought  him  out  and  "  withstood  him  to  the  face."  It 
is  thus  that  friendships  are  sealed  and  strengthened.  The 
best  of  friends  are  parted  by  backbiting.  The  word 
itself  is  significant.  The  pestilent  thing  is  out  of  sight. 
You  hear  it  buzz,  you  feel  the  smart,  but  you  cannot 
reach  it. 

III.  Put  on  charity  as  a  garme?it.  "  Charity  suffer- 
eth  long  and  is  kind ;  charity  envieth  not,  doth  not  be- 
have itself  unseemly,  is  not  easily  provoked,  thinketh  no 
evil." 

A  Russian  fable  tells  of  a  wise  swine  named  Kavron 
that  found  its  way  into  the  court-yard  of  the  palace,  where 
it  roved  at  will  between  the  kitchen  and  the  stable.  On 
its  return  the  master  said,  "  Well,  Kavron,  what  have  you 
seen  ?  I  have  heard  that  kings'  palaces  are  filled  with 
wealth  and  beauty ;  that  there  are  fair  pictures  and  splendid 
tapestries,  and  pearls  and  diamonds  everywhere."  "  'Tis 
all  false,"  said  Kavron.  "  I  saw  no  splendor;  nothing  but 
dirt  and  offal."     If  we  proceed  in  the  same  manner  we 


Il6  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

shall  also  reach  a  like  result.  There  is  some  good  in 
every  man.  It  is  the  part  of  charity  to  look  on  the  bright 
side  of  character.  We  may  go  into  the  back  yard  of  a 
man's  character  and  find  all  manner  of  noisome  things ; 
or  we  may  go  into  his  front  garden  and  bear  away  with  us 
the  fragrance  of  the  virtues  there. 

Of  the  many  things  that  Lincoln  said  wisely  and  well 
there  is  none  that  will  live  longer  than  this  :  "  With  malice 
toward  none ;  with  charity  for  all ;  and  with  firmness  for 
the  right  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right." 

IV.  Take  care.  It  is  a  delicate  matter  to  pluck  a 
mote  or  a  cinder  out  of  an  inflamed  eye.  You  would  not 
go  about  it  with  a  marhne-spike.  Yet  I  have  known  peo- 
ple to  treat  their  neighbor's  faults  that  way.  They  are 
rather  proud  of  calling  themselves  blunt.  They  "  call  a 
spade  a  spade."  From  the  ministries  of  all  such  may  the 
Lord  deliver  us !  Frankness  is  a  glorious  virtue,  but 
bluntness  is  a  vice. 

It  is  the  business  of  every  one  who  would  discharge 
this  duty  to  study  tact,  which  is  "  the  art  of  putting  things." 
It  is  easy  to  call  a  man  hard  names.  Anybody  could  do 
that ;  but  it  takes  an  expert  to  help  a  brother  by  finding 
fault  with  him.  Our  Lord  was  a  master  of  tact.  He  was 
resting  at  the  well  at  Sychar  when  a  woman  came  thither 
to  draw.  She  was  a  woman  of  the  town,  whom  most  of 
us  would  have  reproved  forthwith  in  severest  terms,  but 
Jesus  intends  to  beguile  her  soul  to  truth  and  goodness. 
Mark  how  skillfully  he  does  it. 

He  saith  unto  her,  "  Give  me  to  drink." 

Then  saith  the  woman,  "  How  is  it  that  thou,  being  a 
Jew,  askest  drink  of  me,  a  woman  that  is  a  Samaritan? 
for  the  Jews  have  no  dealings  with  us." 

He  answered,  "  If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and 


THE   DUTY   OF   FAULT-FINDING.  11/ 

who  it  is  that  saith,  Give  me  to  drink,  thou  wouldst  have 
asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have  given  thee  Hving  wa- 
ter." 

She  saith  unto  him,  "  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing  to  draw 
with,  and  the  well  is  deep :  whence  hast  thou  that  living 
water?" 

Jesus  answered,  "Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water 
shall  thirst  again ;  but  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water 
that  I  shall  give  him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  it  shall  be 
in  him  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting 
life." 

The  woman  saith,  "  Sir,  give  me  this  water." 

Jesus  saith,  "  Go,  call  thy  husband."  This  was  the 
driving  of  his  sharp  sword,  and  it  cut  between  the  very- 
joints  and  marrow.  He  touched  in  these  words  the 
secret  place  of  her  sinful  life. 

The  woman  answered,  "  I  have  no  husband." 

Jesus  said,  "  Thou  hast  well  said,  I  have  no  husband, 
for  thou  hast  had  five  husbands  and  now  thou  art  living 
out  of  wedlock." 

The  woman — desiring  naturally  to  change  the  theme 
of  conversation  at  this  point — said,  "  I  perceive  thou  art  a 
prophet.  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  mountain;  ye 
say  that  Jerusalem  is  the  place  to  worship." 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  "  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour 
Cometh  when  neither  here  nor  yonder  shall  ye  worship 
God  :  for  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  him  must 
worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

The  woman  saith  (as  if  bewildered  by  this  truth),  "  Sir, 
Messias  cometh,  and  he  will  tell  us  all." 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  **  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he." 

This  was  the  very  perfection  of  tact.  He  effectively 
uncovered  the  shame  of  this  woman,  and  yet  in  such  a 


Il8  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

manner  as  not  to  repel,  but  to  attract  her.  A  little  later 
she  was  going  up  and  down  among  her  friends  in  Sa- 
maria, saying,  "  Come,  see  a  man  which  told  me  all 
things  that  ever  I  did  :  is  not  this  the  Christ?" 

V.  Change  places.  Indeed,  you  will  have  to.  For 
"  with  what  measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be  measured  unto 
you  again." 

It  is  not  meant  that  God  will  angrily  apply  the  lex  tal- 
ionis  to  such  as  are  severe  in  judgment,  requiring  of  them 
"  an  eye  for  an  eye,  a  tooth  for  a  tooth."  But  in  the  na- 
ture of  the  case  requital  is  sure  to  come.  As  a  man  sow- 
eth,  whether  in  judgment  or  otherwise,  so  also  shall  he 
reap.  Adoni-bezek  was  a  barbaric  prince  whose  custom 
was  to  torture  and  mutilate  his  captives.  The  time  came, 
however,  when  he  himself  was  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  this 
was  his  lamentation  :  "  Three  score  and  ten  kings,  having 
their  thumbs  and  great  toes  cut  off,  did  gather  meat  under 
my  table ;  as  I  have  done  so  God  hath  requited  me." 

The  law  of  recompense  does  not  wait  for  a  divine  en- 
forcement :  it  executes  itself  Haman  is  ever  on  the  way 
towards  the  gallows  which  he  built  for  Mordecai.  The 
royal  fiend  who  gave  the  signal  for  the  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew's  must  lie  awake  at  night  seeing  red  visions 
of  carnage.  The  golden  rule  can  be  put  into  inexorable 
form,  "  As  ye  do  unto  others,  so  shall  ye  be  done  by." 

We  are  accustomed  to  pray,  "  Forgive  us  our  debts 
as  we  forgive  our  debtors."  There  is  a  world  of  philoso- 
phy in  that  little  word  "  as."  The  prayer  falls  glibly  from 
our  lips,  but  let  us  take  heed  how  we  offer  it.  For  with 
what  judgment  we  judge  we  shall  be  judged.  It  were 
better  to  omit  that  petition  if  we  are  of  an  unforgiving  or 
censorious  spirit.  If  we  would  pray  aright  we  must  put 
away  all  grudges,  all  malice  and  envying :  then  can  we 


THE   DUTY   OF   FAULT-FINDING.  II9 

say,  "  Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who 
trespass  against  us." 

VI.  Let  the  mind  which  was  in  Christ  yesus  be  also 
in  us.  He  was  indeed  a  great  fault-finder.  But  how 
graciously  and  skillfully  he  did  it.  When  need  required, 
he  could  hurl  the  very  lightnings  of  denunciation  :  "  Woe 
unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites  !  how  shall  ye 
escape  the  damnation  of  hell  ?"  At  other  times  he  could 
reprove  as  tenderly  as  ever  a  mother  chid  her  erring 
babe:  "  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee:  go,  and  sin  no  more." 
Love  was  the  secret  of  his  art.  Like  a  good  surgeon,  he 
cut  to  save.  On  one  occasion  he  girt  himself  with  a  towel 
and,  basin  in  hand,  went  round  among  his  disciples  and 
washed  their  feet.  "  I  have  given  you  an  example,"  he 
said,  "that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done  unto  you." 

We  are  bound  to  protect  each  other  as  far  as  possible 
from  sin.  Kindly  reproof  is  oftentim.es  as  gracious  as  the 
Oriental  courtesy  of  washing  the  feet.  Our  faults  are  Hke 
the  dust  that  gathers  upon  the  feet  in  walking  along  the 
way.  But  there  never  was  such  a  reproof  on  the  earth  as  the 
cross  itself  It  stood  yonder  like  a  finger  of  admonition 
to  put  the  world  to  an  open  shame.  All  the  faults  of  all 
defiled  hearts  are  laid  open  before  it.  The  love  of  the 
Master,  who  died  yonder,  was  love  that  should  kill  the 
foul  spirit  within  us.  He  died  because  we  were  sinners  ; 
and  yet,  while  showing  forth  that  stupendous  reproof  of 
sin,  he  stretched  forth  his  pierced  hands  and  for  ever  cov- 
ered it.     Go,  and  do  thou  likewise. 


120  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


THE  BRANDED  CONSCIENCE. 


"  Having  their  conscience  seared  with  a  hot  iron."     i  Tim.  4:2. 

The  apostle  is  speaking  of  certain  heretics  and  schis- 
matics who  had  made  their  appearance  among  the 
members  of  the  Ephesian  church.  He  had  previously 
admonished  them.  On  his  way  to  Jerusalem,  when  the 
Ephesian  elders  came  down  to  the  seashore  to  bid  him 
farewell,  he  said,  "  Take  heed  to  yourselves  and  the  flock 
over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers ; 
for  I  know  this,  that  after  my  departing  grievous  wolves 
shall  enter  in  among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock."  That 
was  five  years  ago.  He  now  renews  the  warning :  "  The 
Spirit  speaketh  expressly,  that  in  the  latter  times  some 
shall  depart  from  the  faith,  giving  heed  to  seducing 
spirits,  speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy ;  having  their  conscience 
seared  with  a  hot  iron." 

The  reference  may  be  to  the  ancient  custom  of  brand- 
ing slaves  with  their  master's  name.  An  habitual  sin 
leaves  its  mark  upon  its  victim  ;  as  it  is  written,  *'  He  that 
doeth  sin  is  the  servant  of  it."  Or  possibly  the  reference 
is  to  the  custom  of  branding  a  malefactor  with  his  crime ; 
it  is  the  story  of  "  The  Scarlet  Letter."  A  bad  habit  puts 
us  sooner  or  later  under  an  ineradicable  stigma.  Or  per- 
haps the  reference  is  to  the  surgical  operation  known  as 
cautery.  The  original  word  is  kaiiterizo,  meaning  "  to 
sear."  The  dulling  of  the  moral  sense  under  the  slow 
process  of  continuance  in  any  sinful  practice  is  not  unlike 
the  searing  of  raw  or  tender  flesh. 

Bid  what  is  conscience  f    It  is  usually  defined  as  the 


THE   BRANDED   CONSCIENCE.  121 

faculty  by  which  we  discern  between  right  and  wrong. 
At  this  point  the  etymology  will  help  us.  The  word  is 
from  con-scire,  meaning  "  to  know  with."  With  whom  ? 
God.  It  is  at  this  point  that  we  approach  nearest  to  him 
who  created  us.  By  conscience  we  are  enabled  to  know 
certain  things  in  agreement  with  God.  In  the  last  reduc- 
tion, with  respect  to  moral  determinations,  we  are  at  one 
with  him.  Up  yonder  he  is  all  the  while  passing  judg- 
ment :  Me7ie,  Mene,  Tekel.  "  Thou  art  weighed  in  the 
balance."  In  our  inmost  hearts  we  acknowledge  that  the 
judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true  and  righteous  altogether. 
It  is  conscience  that  responds  Yea  and  Amen  to  his  moral 
decisions.  As  to  "  the  difference  between  the  worse  and 
better  reason,"  to  use  the  phrase  of  Plato,  we  know  with 
God. 

The  science  of  casuistry  is  broad  and  bewildering. 
Many  of  the  noblest  philosophers  have  gone  astray  in  it. 
Sir  William  Hamilton,  Emanuel  Kant,  Herbert  Spen- 
cer, and  John  Stuart  Mill  have  in  this  province  been  **  in 
wandering  mazes  lost."  Yet  there  are  some  things  which 
may  be  definitely  asserted. 

I.  Conscience  is  universal.  "  The  spirit  of  man  is  the 
candle  of  the  Lord."  God  has  not  left  himself  without  a 
witness.  A  man  may  be  born  blind,  armless,  or  mal- 
formed in  other  ways  ;  may  be  born  destitute  of  imagina- 
tion or  love  of  the  beautiful;  but  never  was  one  born 
without  the  moral  sense.  It  is  indeed  the  vital  organ  of 
the  soul.  The  heathen  are  represented  as  having  this 
faculty,  and  they  are  therefore  without  excuse  ;  because 
"  they  show  the  law  written  in  their  hearts,  their  con- 
science bearing  witness." 

Up  yonder  in  the  starry  heavens  a  beacon  was  kindled 
for  the  guidance  of  wanderers  before  the  first  of  beacons 


122  THE    RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

flamed  upon  the  earthly  heights,  and  it  will  shine  when 
the  glow  of  the  last  Pharos  has  gone  out.  Old  Palinurus 
steered  his  bark  by  it.  The  Argonauts  in  their  search  for 
the  Golden  Fleece  followed  it  as  a  beckoning  finger  of 
light.  Abraham  kept  his  gaze  upon  it,  journeying  along 
the  Euphrates  toward  the  country  that  he  knew  not. 
Columbus  watched  it  from  the  bow  of  the  Pinta.  The 
Bedouins  of  the  desert  direct  their  course  by  it.  The 
fugitive  slaves  followed  it  through  forests  and  bayous  to 
their  bleak  heaven  beyond  the  northern  lakes.  And  con- 
science, like  the  Pole  Star,  is  guide  for  all.  All  other 
lights  are  quenched,  but  the  candle  of  the  Lord  burns  on. 
II.  The  universal  conscience  is  disordered.  In  all  the 
world  there  is  no  inward  sense  which  can  serve  as  an  in- 
fallible guide.  What  has  wrought  this  harm  ?  Sin.  An 
inbound  steamer  was  recently  two  hundred  miles  from 
Nantucket  shoals,  by  compass  and  sextant,  when  the  look- 
out cried  "Land  ho!"  and  the  dangerous  shoals  were  just 
in  sight.  It  had  chanced  that  the  ship's  carpenter  care- 
lessly drove  a  nail  too  near  the  magnetic  needle.  A 
slight  deflection  may  cause  a  vast  divergence  at  the  open 
end  of  the  angle.  So  sensitive  is  the  conscience  to  sin. 
Here  Hes  the  danger  of  indulgence  in  any  pernicious 
habit  When  Nero  ascended  the  throne  he  was  so  tender- 
hearted that  on  being  required  to  sign  the  death-warrant 
of  a  slave  he  wept,  and  wished  he  had  never  learned  to 
write.  But  the  tiger  whetted  his  taste  on  blood  and  soon 
learned  to  revel  in  it.  When  the  cry  ''Hoc  habet T  was 
heard  in  the  amphitheatre  he  always  gave  the  signal  of 
death.  What  is  your  darling  sin,  my  friend  ?  The  time 
was  when  you  scrupled  to  indulge  in  it ;  but  practice 
made  it  easier  and  your  compunctions  vanished  in  the 
course  of  time.     The  sin  is  just  as  sinful  as  ever,  but  you 


THE   BRANDED    CONSCIENCE.  1 23 

have  violated  your   moral  sense  until  it  has  been  given 
over  to  believe  a  lie. 

In  this  callousness  there  is,  however,  no  excuse  for  sin. 
The  man  who  is  brought  red-handed  before  the  court  on 
the  charge  of  murder  pleads,  "  I  was  drunk,  your  Honor." 
But  no  court  will  extenuate  his  crime  on  that  account. 
The  responsibility  is  merely  pushed  back  to  the  touching 
of  the  maddening  cup.  So  the  crime  from  which  all 
crimes  proceed  is  the  deadening  of  conscience  by  persis- 
tence in  evil.  A  man  must  answer  for  the  perversion  of 
his  moral  sense. 

III.  But  conscience  is  indestructible.  It  may  be 
chained  and  silenced,  but  not  killed.  Like  a  silenced 
angel  it  dwells  in  the  Round  Tower  of  the  soul  and  bides 
its  time. 

When  Nero  had  reached  the  consummation  of  all  his 
wickedness  in  the  murder  of  Agrippina  he  sent  her  body 
for  burial  beyond  the  seas ;  yet  in  the  watches  of  the 
night  he  heard  his  mother's  groans  from  that  far-distant 
grave. 

In  like  manner  the  conscience  of  King  Richard  awoke 
at  Bosworth  Field.  The  ghosts  of  his  victims  paraded 
before  his  tent  :  Grey  and  Vaughan  and  Rivers  and 
Buckingham  all  saying, 

"  Let  me  sit  heavy  on  thy  soul  to-morrow  !" 

Then  came  the  ghost  of  Hastings,  saying, 

"  Dream  on  thy  cousins  smothered  in  the  Tower." 

Then  the  spectre  of  his  murdered  wife, 

"  Richard,  thy  wife  that  never  slept  a  quiet  hour  with  thee 
Now  fills  thy  sleep  with  perturbations." 

Then  the  king  awoke,  confessing  the  immortal  power  of 

conscience : 


124  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

"  My  conscience  has  a  thousand  several  tongues 
And  every  tongue  brings  in  a  several  tale, 
And  every  tale  condemns  me  for  a  villain  !" 

When  Lord  Byron  had  worn  out  his  glorious  youth 
in  frivolity  and  dissipation,  finding  himself  old  when  most 
men  are  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  he  lamented  thus : 

"The  mind  that  broods  o'er  guilty  woes 
Is  like  the  scorpion  girt  by  fire ; 
In  circle  narrowing  as  it  glows 
The  flames  around  their  captive  close. 
So  writhes  the  mind  remorse  hath  riven : 
Unfit  for  earth,  undoomed  for  heaven ; 
Darkness  above,  despair  beneath, 
Around  it  fire,  within  it  death  !" 

Here  is  the  basis  of  eternal  retribution.  Sin  is  the 
seed  of  its  own  penalty.  Memory  will  awake.  The 
mind,  as  Milton  says,  "  is  its  own  place,  and  in  itself  can 
make  a  heaven  of  hell,  a  hell  of  heaven." 

IV.  The  conscie7ice  can  be  restored  to  its  original  rec- 
titude. How  ?  If  one's  watch  is  out  of  order  he  does 
not  himself  undertake  to  tinker  it,  but  puts  it  in  the 
watchmaker's  hands.  So  let  us  deal  with  the  disordered 
conscience.  God  made  it  and  he  alone  can  repair  it. 
In  prayer  let  us  place  the  matter  before  him. 

As  with  the  watch  so  with  the  conscience :  two  things 
are  necessary — a  cleansing  and  a  regulating.  The  cleans- 
ing is  wrought  at  the  fountain  that  has  been  opened  for 
uncleanness ;  as  it  is  written,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
shall  purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the 
living  God." 

The  adjusting  is  wrought  through  the  Scriptures.  All 
chronometers  are  regulated  by  the  sun  ;  all  consciences 
must  be  adjusted  to  the  mind  of  God.     But  where  shall 


THE   BRANDED    CONSCIENCE.  1 25 

that  be  found  ?  In  the  Scriptures.  The  Scriptures  are 
distinctively  a  setting  forth  of  the  divine  mind.  In  them 
we  have  an  infalHble  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  The  con- 
science goes  wrong,  but  the  Scriptures  never.  To  the  law 
and  to  the  testimony  therefore.  You  would  be  a  consci- 
entious man ;  but  if  conscience  is  a  false  guide  there  is 
nothing  worse  than  to  be  a  conscientious  man.  When, 
however,  the  moral  sense  is  purged  and  brought  into  har- 
mony with  God's  inerrant  word,  then  there  is  nothing  bet- 
ter on  earth  or  in  heaven  than  to  follow  its  lead. 

"  When  the  conscience,"  says  Dr.  McCosh,  "  has  lost 
its  delicate  sensibility  and  power  of  direction  there  seems 
to  be  only  one  method  of  restoration,  namely,  by  pla- 
cing it  alongside  of  a  pure  standard  of  right  and  wrong ; 
as  the  magnetized  iron  which  has  lost  its  virtue  is  re- 
stored by  being  bound  up  for  a  time  with  a  correct  mag- 
net." 

Hence  the  vital  necessity  of  the  Scriptures ;  and  hence, 
moreover,  the  vital  necessity  of  beHeving  in  their  iner- 
rancy. In  them  we  have  a  "  correct  magnet,"  by  which 
the  trembling  conscience  may  be  adjusted  to  the  divine 
will.  To  trust  to  conscience  with  no  superhuman  help  is 
to  lean  upon  a  broken  reed.  The  most  flagrant  crimes 
of  history  have  been  committed  in  the  name  of  conscience. 
In  the  light  of  a  thousand  autos  dafe  we  may  read  Paul's 
disclaimer:  "  I  verily  thought  that  I  ought  to  do  it."  But 
conscientiousness  is  no  excuse  for  sin,  nor  can  sincerity 
extenuate  a  violation  of  the  moral  law.  A  man  is  bound 
to  be  right  as  well  as  sincere.  To  this  end  there  must  be 
some  ultimate  and  exact  standard  of  right.  This  is  the 
claim  made  for  the  Scriptures ;  that  they  are  "  an  infalli- 
ble rule."  And  herein  is  the  rationale  of  our  Lord's 
injunction;  "Search  the  Scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think 


126  THE    RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

ye  have  eternal  life,  and  these  are  they  which  testify  of 
me. 

In  the  pictures  of  St.  Gudule  she  is  always  represented 
as  shielding  a  lantern  with  her  hand.  The  story  runs 
that,  being  required  to  pass  through  a  dense  forest  on  her 
way  to  the  oratory,  an  evil  spirit  met  her  and  blew  out 
her  light.  A  spark  still  lingered  in  the  wick.  She  uttered 
a  swift  prayer,  "Lord,  help!"  when  straightway  a  warm 
breath  from  above  rekindled  it.  Once  more  the  evil  spirit 
blew  it  out;  another  swift  prayer,  and  again  the  warm 
breath  rekindled  it.  And  so  until  at  last  she  reached  the 
oratory.  It  is  the  parable  of  an  earnest  life.  We  journey 
toward  heaven  through  a  dark  night.  Pray  without  ceas- 
ing, oh,  erring  brother !  Depend  not  on  the  lantern  in  thy 
hand,  save  as  its  clear  light  is  assured  by  constant  com- 
munion with  God. 

So  at  last  we  come  to  heaven's  gate.  And  what  is 
heaven  ?  The  secret  of  the  great  glory  lies  in  our  being 
in  perfect  harmony  with  God.  A  good  conscience  has 
the  happiness  of  heaven  in  it.  Con- scire  /  to  have  our 
minds  in  harmony  with  God's  mind,  our  wills  blending 
with  the  divine  will — this  is  to  enter  into  life. 

The  end  of  all  is  "  peace  of  conscience."  No  more 
sin  ;  no  more  struggling ;  no  more  bewilderment  at  the 
cross-roads  of  duty.  All  night  Jacob  wrestled  at  Jabbok. 
On  the  morrow  he  must  meet  his  brother  whom  years  be- 
fore he  had  wronged,  and  he  was  sore  afraid.  But  before 
he  meets  Esau  there  is  Another  with  whom  he  must 
reckon.  So  he  wrestles  with  his  unseen  foe,  until,  as  the 
day  breaks,  he  falls  helpless  upon  his  withered  thigh. 
Then  realizing  that  his  antagonist  is  the  Infinite  One  he 
surrenders,  and  receives  his  crown  :  **  Thou  art  Israel,  be- 
cause thou  hast  prevailed  with  God."     There  is  a  war  in 


THE   BRANDED    CONSCIENCE.  12/ 

our  members :  the  evil  that  we  would  not,  that  we  do  ; 
and  the  g^ood  we  would,  that  we  do  not.  We  are  ever 
divided  betwixt  two.  The  struggle  goes  until  we  know 
our  weakness.  There  is  no  triumphing  with  God  until 
we  fall  helpless  before  him.  Then,  when  the  quarrel 
ceases  in  utter  defeat,  come  the  glorious  victory  and 
peace;  peace  "eternal,  sacred,  sure;"  peace  with  self  for 
ever  and  ever;  peace  with  our  fellows;  peace  with 
God. 


128  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


THE  HOLY  GHOST. 


"  He  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  be- 
lieved? And  they  said  unto  him,  We  have  not  so  much  as 
heard  whether  there  be  any  Holy  Ghost."    Acts  19:2. 

The  apostle  in  his  journeying  came  to  Ephesus,  and 
found  there  a  company  of  twelve  men  who  were  trying  in 
a  rude  way  to  live  a  holy  life.  They  had  learned  from 
John  the  Baptist,  whose  disciples  they  were,  the  need  of 
repentance,  and  they  went  with  their  heads  hanging  down 
hke  bulrushes.  There  was  no  gladness  in  their  faith. 
Paul  perceived  that  all  was  not  right  with  them  ;  some- 
thing was  wanting.  "  Have  ye,"  he  asked,  "  received  the 
Holy  Ghost  since  ye  believed?"  They  confessed  that 
they  had  not  learned  of  the  great  blessing  which  had  come 
upon  God's  people  at  Pentecost.  Then  Paul,  having  in- 
structed them  more  fully  as  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  laid  his 
hands  upon  them,  and  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Then  signs  and  wonders.  They  spake  with  tongues  and 
prophesied ;  they  entered  upon  a  glorious  life  of  gladness 
and  usefulness.  The  word  of  the  Lord  grew  mightily  and 
prevailed  among  them. 

We  have  our  Bibles  and  litanies  ;  we  have  our  sanc- 
tuaries and  family  altars ;  we  go  through  our  prescribed 
forms  of  devotion;  but,  perhaps,  there  is  something  want- 
ing. Where  is  the  holy  exhilaration  that  should  charac- 
terize those  who  believe  in  the  glorious  gospel  ?  Are  we 
moved  by  a  fervid  passion  for  souls  and  a  consuming  love 
for  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  Or  is  our  devotion  "  faultily 
faultless,    icily   regular,    splendidly   null "  ?      Are    there 


THE   HOLY    GHOST.  I29 

traces  of  tears  upon  our  cheeks  ?  Is  the  smell  ot  the 
prison  mould  upon  our  white  robes  ?  If  so,  where  is 
the  trouble,  or  what  is  wanting  ?  Have  we  received  the 
Holy  Ghost  since  we  believed  ? 

I.  W/io  is  the  Holy  Ghost?  The  third  Person  of  the 
Godhead— a  Person,  not  a  mere  energy  or  influence. 
Let  us  have  no  neuter  pronouns  here.  We  may  say  "  it " 
of  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  not  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  himself  He  is  distincdy  a  Person,  as  really  as  the 
Father  or  the  Son.  Were  you  to  refer  to  me  as  "  it "  I 
should  have  just  ground  for  offence.  I  am  not  a  thing. 
Surely,  then,  it  is  not  reverent  to  speak  of  the  third  Per- 
son of  the  Godhead  in  that  way. 

II.  What  is  the  relation  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  the  other 
persons  of  the  Trinity  ? 

In  theological  terms,  the  Son  is  "  sent "  by  the  Father 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  "  proceedeth  "  from  the  Father  and 
the  Son.  All  human  history  may  be  divided  into  three 
dispensations.  T\\^  first  is  the  dispensation  of  the  Father, 
who  ruled  this  world  during  the  old  economy.  This  dis- 
pensation closed  in  that  long  night  of  darkness  which  pre- 
ceded the  coming  of  Christ.  The  second  dispensation  was 
that  of  the  Son,  which  continued  for  about^  thirty  years, 
while  he  lived  and  labored  and  preached  among  men.  It 
closed  in  the  darkness  that  enveloped  the  cross  when 
Jesus  cried,  '*  It  is  finished!"  The  third  dispensation, 
under  which  we  are  now  living,  is  that  of  the  Spirit.  It 
began  when  Jesus,  returning  from,  the  grave,  breathed  on 
his  disciples  and  said,  '*  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost." 
The  work  of  the  Spirit  will  continue  until  the  restitution 
of  all  things  in  the  consummation  of  the  divine  kingdom 
on  earth. 

III.    What  are  the  offices  of  the  Holy  Ghost?     As  we 

The  Rollgion  of  the   Future,  Q 


I30  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

proceed  from  this  point  we  shall  discover  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  related  to  us  in  various  ways ;  so  closely  that  our 
spiritual  life  depends  upon  our  knowing  and  honoring 
and  serving  him. 

1.  He  is  the  Reprover.  Our  Lord  said,  "And  when 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin, 
of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment:  of  sin,  because  they 
believe  not  on  him  ;  of  righteousness,  because  I  go  unto 
my  Father;  and  of  judgment,  because  the  prince  of  this 
world  is  judged."  The  Spirit  wields  a  two-edged  sword, 
which  is  quick  and  powerful  to  the  dividing  asunder  of 
the  very  joints  and  marrow  and  of  the  soul  and  spirit  of 
man.  He  speaks  through  the  conscience  ;  our  scruples 
and  compunctions  are  from  him.  He  rebukes  and  con- 
vinces and  convicts ;  so  that  when  his  perfect  work  is 
done  the  man  approaches  God  in  humble  contrition, 
beating  upon  his  breast  and  crying,  "  God  be  merciful 
to  me  a  sinner." 

2.  He  is  the  Reminder.  The  Lord  said,  "  He  shall 
put  you  in  remembrance  of  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto 
you."  And  again,  "  He  shall  take  of  mine  and  show  it 
unto  you."  It  is  one  of  the  special  functions  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  keep  in  remembrance  the  redemptive  work  of 
Jesus.  Great  men  and  their  deeds  are  apt  to  be  forgot- 
ten. As  Hamlet  said,  "  Die  two  months  ago,  and  not 
forgotten  yet?  Then  there's  hope  that  a  man's  memory 
may  outlive  him  half  a  year."  But  the  name  and  mighty 
work  of  Jesus  can  never  be  forgotten,  because  the  Holy 
Ghost  perpetuates  it  It  is  under  the  authority  and 
appointment  of  the  Spirit  that  the  army  of  ministers  and 
evangelists  goes  forth  to  preach  Christ,  and  him  crucified. 
It  is  through  him  that  the  old,  old  story  is  kept  fresh  and 
vivid  before  the  minds  of  men.    It  is  through  him  that  the 


THE   HOLY   GHOST.  .I3I 

prophecy  of  the  Saviour  himself  shall  be  fulfilled  :  "  I,  if  I 
be  Hfted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me." 

3.  He  is  the  Regenerator.  The  Lord  said,  "  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and 
of  the  Spirit  he  shall  not  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  The 
day  of  miracles  has  passed  away,  but  one  great  miracle 
is  ever  being  enacted  in  the  restoration  of  fallen  humanity. 
We  cannot  explain  it,  but  we  perceive  the  fact  occurring 
again  and  again  about  us.  Men  are  mysteriously  brought 
out  of  darkness  into  light.  Their  characters  are  revolu- 
tionized ;  so  that,  with  them,  old  things  have  passed  away 
and  all  things  have  become  new.  This  is  the  work  of  the 
Spirit.  "  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou 
hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  com- 
eth,  and  whither  it  goeth  :  so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of 
the  Spirit  of  God." 

4.  He  is  the  Teacher.  The  Lord  said,  "  He  shall 
guide  you  into  all  truth."  The  summary  of  spiritual 
truth  is  the  Scriptures.  "  Search  the  Scriptures,"  said 
Jesus,  "for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,  and  these 
are  they  which  testify  of  me."  The  Romanists  say  it  is 
dangerous  to  entrust  the  Bible  to  the  laity,  because,  being 
misunderstood,  it  is  Hkely  to  be  perverted ;  and  the  priest 
is,  therefore,  imposed  upon  men  as  the  mediator  of  truth. 
The  premise  is  correct ;  the  conclusion  is  false.  No  man 
indeed  can,  unaided,  read  the  Scriptures  and  apprehend 
them.  But  the  only  mediator  of  truth  is  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
as  it  is  written,  "  The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things 
of  God,  for  they  are  foolishness  to  him  ;  because  spiritual 
things  are  spiritually  discerned."  The  Holy  Ghost,  as 
Author  of  the  Scriptures,  is  alone  able  to  explain  them. 
The  Earl  of  Chatham,  when  in  the  Highlands,  attended  a 
village  church  and  listened  to  a  profound  sermon  on  the 


132.  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE    FUTURE. 

Decrees.  As  he  passed  out  he  said  to  an  old  woman, 
"  Did  you  understand  ?"  "Aye,  sir,"  she  answered ;  and 
then  seeing  the  bewildered  look  upon  his  face  added,  "  but 
I  perceive  that  you  are  in  the  dark.  Sir,  your  eyes  must 
be  anointed  with  the  eye-salve  of  the  Spirit  or  you  will 
never  be  able  to  comprehend  the  deep  things  of  God." 

5.  He  is  Master  of  the  Seals.  Like  the  High  Chancel- 
lor of  an  Oriental  government,  he  wears  the  signet  ring 
without  the  impress  of  which  no  conveyance  is  valid. 
Thus  it  is  written,  "  Ye  are  sealed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
promise,  which  is  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance  until  the 
redemption  of  the  promised  possession."  We  speak  of 
"assurance  "  ;  we  greatly  desire  to  read  our  title  clear  to 
mansions  in  the  skies  :  if  we  have  assurance  it  is  through 
the  communication  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  as  it  is  written, 
"  The  Spirit  beareth  witness  with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the 
children  of  God." 

6.  He  is  the  Comforter.  The  word  thus  rendered  is  in 
the  ox\gm.2X  Paraclete,  ixovci  para-kalei?i;  i.  e.,  "to  call 
to  one's  side."  The  Paraclete  is  one  who  draws  near  at 
our  cry  of  distress.  In  sorrow  he  brings  consolation ; 
in  weakness  he  brings  strength ;  in  adversity  he  comes  to 
assure  us  of  the  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory.  If  we  yield  to  temptation  it  is  because  we  prefer 
to  stand  alone  resisting  it.  We  do  not  call  the  great 
Helper  to  our  side.  Out  in  the  wilderness  of  Beersheba 
the  exiled  Hagar  was  famishing  with  her  child.  The 
water  was  spent  in  the  bottle,  and  casting  the  child  under 
an  acacia  bush  she  went  away,  as  it  were  a  bowshot,  and 
sat  her  down,  for  she  said,  "  Let  me  not  see  the  death  of 
the  child."  But  God  heard  the  wailing  of  the  litde  one, 
and  he  called  to  Hagar  out  of  heaven,  saying,  "  What 
aileth  thee,  Hagar  ?  Fear  not  ;  God  hath  heard  the  voice 


THE    HOLY   GHOST.  1 33 

of  the  lad."  Then  her  ears  were  unstopped  and  she 
heard  the  babbling  of  water.  Her  eyes  were  opened  and 
she  saw  a  fountain  near  by.  Thus  it  is  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  hears  us  in  our  distress  and  runs  at  our  cry.  He 
is  with  us  in  six  troubles,  and  in  seven  he  will  not  for- 
sake us.    - 

7.  He  is  the  Sanctijier.  Our  life  should  be  marked  by 
a  perpetual  growth.  "  The  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy, 
peace,  long-suffering,  gentleness,  goodness,  faith,  meek- 
ness, temperance  ;  against  such  there  is  no  law.  If  we 
live  in  the  Spirit,  let  us  walk  in  the  Spirit."  To  walk  in 
the  Spirit  is  to  walk  in  the  path  that  shineth  brighter  and 
brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  not  so 
called  because  he  is  hoHer  than  the  Father  or  than  the 
Son,  but  because  it  is  one  of  his  special  functions  to  ad- 
minister holiness— to  lead  God's  people  by  continual 
growth  in  grace  unto  the  likeness  of  Christ. 

We  hear  much  of  the  Higher  Life.  The  Higher  Life  is 
only  to  live  in  the  Spirit,  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit, 
following  the  behest  of  the  Spirit.  We  look  from  the  shore 
upon  two  ships  out  upon  the  open  sea.  They  both  alike 
seem  to  be  standing  still ;  but  could  we  look  upon  them 
from  above  we  should  see  that  one  is  at  rest  with  sails 
flapping:  in  a  dead  calm,  while  the  other  is  tacking  to  and 
fro  and  making  a  slow  but  constant  progress  toward  port. 
What  makes  the  difference?  The  wind  in  the  sails.  In 
like  manner  we  may  not  be  able  to  distinguish  between 
the  outward  appearance  of  two  Christians;  the  one  of 
whom  is  making  little  or  no  progress  in  the  Christian  life, 
while  the  other  is  moving  on  by  constant  acquisitions  of 
grace  towards  perfection.  There  is,  however,  a  most 
important  difference.  What  makes  it?  The  breath  of 
the  Infinite  One.     The  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 


134  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

8.  He  is  our  Helper  ;  as  it  is  written,  '*  The  Spirit  also 
helpeth  our  infirmities.  For  we  know  not  what  we  should 
pray  for  as  we  ought,  but  the  Spirit  Himself  maketh  in- 
tercession for  us  with  groanings  that  cannot  be  uttered." 
The  groanings  here  referred  to  are  indeed  not  those  of 
the  Spirit,  but  those  of  the  poor  suppliant  who  cannot 
articulate  his  prayer.  Not  long  ago  I  called  upon  a  be- 
reaved wife  who  had  been  left  desolate  with  her  three 
children.  Her  burden  of  sorrow  seemed  heavier  than 
she  could  bear.  In  answer  to  my  question  as  to  whether 
she  had  prayed  over  it,  she  said,  "  No.  I  believe  in  the 
good  Lord,  but  I  cannot  pray ;  my  heart  is  as  heavy  as 
lead;  my  lips  are  parched  and  dry."  It  is  to  such  sup- 
phants  that  the  gracious  Spirit  comes  with  timely  help. 
When  our  groanings  cannot  be  uttered  He  maketh  in- 
tercession for  us. 

9.  He  is  our  Guide.  The  best  definition  of  a  Chris- 
tian that  ever  was  given  is  that  of  the  Apostle  Paul :  "As 
many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons 
of  God."  Our  life  is  a  journey.  There  are  ups  and 
downs  and  cross-roads  that  bewilder  us.  We  are  like  the 
children  of  Israel  who  went  out  of  the  Egyptian  cities, 
a  great  mob  of  fugitive  slaves,  into  an  unknown  wilder- 
ness, going  to  a  land  that  they  knew  not.  But  yonder  in 
the  heavens  was  the  divine  token.  It  went  before  them, 
a  pillar  of  cloud  by  day  and  of  fire  by  night,  as  they 
struggled  on,  compassed  about  by  enemies  and  hindered 
by  untold  difficulties,  until  it  led  them  into  the  land  that 
flowed  with  milk  and  honey.  The  Holy  Spirit  leads  us 
as  veritably  as  God  led  Israel  in  the  olden  time.  There 
is  no  reason  why  we  should  ever  go  wrong.  Sin  is  utterly 
unreasonable.  We  have  only  to  follow  the  divine  guid- 
ance and  heaven  is  straight  before  us. 


THE   HOLY   GHOST.  I35 

10.  In  fine,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  Executive  of  the 
Church.  We  return  to  our  starting-point.  This  is  the 
dispensation  of  the  Spirit.  He  is  carrying  out  through 
the  church  the  glorious  purpose  of  Jesus  in  his  redemp- 
tive death.  The  success  of  the  church  depends  upon  the 
pervasive  influence  and  invigoration  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
In  the  vision  of  Zechariah  he  saw  a  golden  candlestick 
with  seven  lamps ;  in  the  midst  was  a  bowl  of  oil  com- 
municating with  the  lamps  through  seven  pipes.  The 
prophet  said,  "  What  are  these  ?"  The  angel  answered, 
"  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts."  In  vain  is  all  the  splendid  machinery 
of  the  visible  church  if  the  Spirit  does  not  use  it.  The 
most  eloquent  ministry  is  but  an  array  of  meaningless 
ciphers  until  the  Spirit  of  God  shall  place  himself  like  an 
omnipotent  unit  before  it;  then  the  ministry  leads  the 
church  as  an  invincible  army  to  the  conquest  of  the  world, 
and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it. 

Two  concluding  words  .•  a  warning  ajid  a  promise. 
It  is  the  Master's  warning:  "All  sins  shall  be  forgiven, 
but  the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven 
you."  The  rejection  of  the  overtures  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  the  unpardonable  sin ;  for  it 
is  the  casting  away  of  the  only  clew  to  the  labyrinth ;  it 
is  the  closing  of  the  only  door  of  heaven  ;  it  is  the  quench- 
ing of  the  only  beacon  that  lights  us  to  the  kingdom  of 
God. 

The  promise  is  a  glorious  one :  "  If  earthly  parents 
know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  their  children,  how 
much  more  shall  your  Father  in  heaven  give  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  him !"  This  is  the  unspeakable 
gift,  and  it  may  be  had  for  the  mere  taking.  The  most 
famous  of  bridal  gifts  was  that  to  Placidia  from  her  de- 


n6  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


voted  prince.  As  she  came  from  the  altar  she  walked 
between  a  double  line  of  fifty  princes  each  holding  a 
basin  :  one  of  pearls,  another  of  rubies,  another  of  dia- 
monds ;  and  as  she  passed  each  was  presented,  with  the 
words,  "  That  you  may  never  want."  A  gift  unspeakably 
more  glorious  is  presented  to  the  soul  at  its  espousal  with 
Christ.  Here  is  the  casket  of  all  jewels:  "How  much 
more  shall  your  Father  in  heaven  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
them  that  ask  him  !"  Life,  happiness,  transcendent  hope 
and  glory  are  here.  Oh,  for  the  unspeakable  gift ! 
Come,  Holy  Spirit,  come ! 


WALKING   WITH    GOD.  1 37 


WALKING  WITH  GOD, 


"And    Enoch   walked   with  God  :  and  he  was  not ;  for  God  took 
him."     Gen.  5:24. 

In  this  fifth  chapter  of  Genesis  we  have  a  procession 
of  nobodies.  Adam  and  Seth  and  Cainan  and  Mahala- 
leel  and  Jared — these  are  mere  names.  There  are  those 
who  count  themselves  fortunate  in  being  able  to  trace 
their  lineage  back  through  some  generations  to  a  baron 
or  a  blacksmith,  as  the  case  may  be,  but  here  is  some- 
thing better. 

"A  prince  can  mak  a  belted  knight, 

A  marquis,  duke,  and  a'  that ; 
An  honest  man's  aboon  his  might — 

Guid  faith,  he  maunna  fa'  that ! 
For  a'  that,  and  a'  that, 

Their  dignities,  and  a'  that, 
The  pith  o'  sense  and  pride  o'  worth 

Are  higher  ranks  than  a'  that." 

The  proudest  genealogy  which  any  man  can  boast  is  that 
which  makes  us  part  and  parcel  of  the  human  family ;  as 
it  is  written,  "  He  was  the  son  of  Seth,  who  was  the  son 
of  Adam,  who  was  the  son  of  God." 

(As  we  pass  along  this  monotonous  Hst  of  our  common- 
place and  insignificant  forebears,  we  suddenly  come  upon 
one  whose  life,  embraced  in  a  brief  sentence,  is  sugges- 
tive of  interminable  chapters  of  duty  gloriously  donej— 
"And  Enoch  walked  with  God."  "*^ 


138  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

The  walk  is  significant  of  the  manner  of  life.  It  is  our 
walk  that  carries  us  about  to  and  fro,  from  door  to  door, 
and  makes  us  part  of  the  great  busy  world.  So  life  is 
aptly  represented  as  walk  and  conversation,  the  latter 
word  being  from  convertere,  *'  to  turn  about."  You  may 
stand  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  pass  judgment  with 
some  degree  of  certainty  upon  the  character  of  the  pass- 
ing multitude  by  the  manner  of  their  walk.  Here  is  one 
whose  step  is  firm  and  rapid — manifestly  a  man  of  pur- 
pose ;  here  is  another  who  threads  his  way  in  and  out — a 
schemer ;  here  is  one  who  struts  past,  erect  and  heedless 
of  others — a  self-opinionated  man  ;  one  staggers  by — the 
manhood  is  gone  out  of  him  ;  one  shuffles  by,  "  inter- 
feres," as  horsemen  would  say  —  a  shiftless  good-for- 
naught;  another  passes  with  a  mincing  gait — a  small 
man;  one  saunters  by  with  a  jaunty  air — a  "thing  of 
beauty  "  but  of  little  or  no  practical  account;  here  goes  a 
plodder,  who  sets  his  foot  down  heel  and  toe — a  com- 
monplace man,  but  adept,  as  they  say,  in  "  the  art  of  ulti- 
mate arrival."     Thus  does  the  gait  betray  the  man. 

Not  without  reason,  therefore,  are  we  exhorted  in  Holy 
Writ  to  walk  aright ;  to  walk  before  God  in  the  land  of 
the  living;  to  walk  circumspectly,  not  as  fools  but  as 
wise ;  to  walk  in  the  truth  ;  to  walk  in  our  houses  with  a 
perfect  heart ;  to  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleas- 
ing ;  to  walk  after  the  Spirit ;  to  walk  in  newness  of  life ; 
to  run  in  the  way  of  the  Lord's  commandments  ;  to  walk 
in  the  light  of  his  countenance ;  to  walk  by  faith.  **  I  be- 
seech you,"  says  Paul  to  the  Ephesians,  "  that  ye  walk 
worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  ye  are  called,  with  all 
lowliness  and  meekness,  forbearing  one  another  in  love ; 
endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bond 
of  peace." 


WALKING    WITH    GOD.  1 39 

"  Oh  for  a  closer  walk  with  God, 
A  calm  and  heavenly  frame, 
A  light  to  shine  upon  the  road 
That  leads  me  to  the  Lamb  !" 

The  sum  total  of  a  holy  life  is  embraced  in  this  ex- 
pression, "  to  walk  with  God."  It  implies  the  closest  and 
most  intimate  relation  with  him.  He  is,  so  to  speak,  our 
companion  on  the  long  journey  ;  our  comrade  in  struggle  ; 
the  sharer  of  our  plans  and  purposes ;  our  friend  and 
confidant. 

But  prior  to  any  such  association  with  the  Infinite 
One  it  is  obvious  that  there  must  be  a  reconciliation  with 
him,  for  by  nature  we  are  not  on  good  terms  with  God. 
In  the  beginning  Adam  walked  with  God  "  in  the  garden 
in  the  cool  of  the  day."  There  was  nothing  between 
them.  Then  came  sin  and  opened  the  mighty  chasm  of 
separation  ;  and  since  then  the  condition  of  the  race  is 
set  forth  in  those  pregnant  words,  "  The  carnal  mind  is 
enmity  against  God."  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  be- 
fore the  pleasant  walk  of  confidence  can  be  resumed  there 
must  be  reconcihation.     For 

"  In  friends 
That  do  converse  and  waste  the  time  together, 
Whose  souls  do  bear  an  equal  yoke  of  love, 
There  must  needs  be  a  like  proportion 
Of  lineaments,  of  manners,  and  of  spirit." 

It  has  pleased  God  to  make  an  overture  of  peace  in  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  The  cross  is  a  flag  of  truce.  In  accept- 
ing Christ  we  make  our  peace  with  God  ;  as  it  is  written, 
*'  You,  that  were  sometime  alienated  and  enemies  in  your 
mind  by  wicked  works,  yet  now  hath  he  reconciled  in  the 
body  of  his  flesh,  through  death,  to  present  you  holy  and 
unblameable  and  unreproveable  in  his  sight."     When  we 


140  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

have  attended  to  this  prerequisite,  and  not  before,  we  are 
ready  to  walk  with  God. 

Then  three  things  are  necessary,  as  one  commenta- 
tor says,  that  we  may  walk  consistently  with  Him  ;  to 
wit,  like-mindedness,  spiritual-mindedness,  and  heavenly- 
mindedness. 

I.  Like-minded7iess.  "  Can  two  walk  together,"  asked 
Amos  the  herdman,  **  except  they  be  agreed  ?"  It  was  in 
the  time  of  Israel's  degeneracy ;  the  altars  flamed  with 
sacrifices,  the  temple  was  thronged  with  worshippers,  but 
all  was  superficial.  The  people  smote  with  the  fist  of 
wickedness  and  were  at  variance  with  God. 

If  we  are  to  walk  in  friendHness  with  Him  there  are 
some  things  concerning  which  there  must  be  no  difierence 
of  view.  One  of  these  is  sin.  What  does  God  think 
about  sin  ?  It  is  filth,  leprosy,  palsy,  bondage,  virus,  mor- 
tification, death.  He  says,  "  Thou  shalt  not  bring  an 
abomination  into  thy  house ;  but  thou  shalt  utterly  destroy 
it,  and  thou  shalt  utterly  abhor  it,  for  it  is  an  accursed 
thing."  This  is  how  God  regards  it.  What,  now,  do 
you  think  of  it?  Do  you  cherish  the  unclean  thing? 
Have  we  "  a  darling  sin  "  ?  God  is  pleased  to  represent 
his  relation  to  the  redeemed  soul  as  that  of  the  bride- 
groom to  the  bride ;  as  he  says,  "  Henceforth  thou  shalt 
call  me  no  more  Baah,  but  Ishi ;"  that  is,  not,  my  master, 
but,  my  husband.  But  can  the  husband  love  the  wife  who 
holds  an  ill-gotten  child  in  her  arms  ?  So  is  a  darling  sin 
in  the  sight  of  God.  If  we  are  to  walk  in  friendly  con- 
verse with  him  we  must  put  the  abomination  from  us. 

And  then  another  fact  as  to  which  there  must  be  no 
difference  of  opinion  is  salvation.  It  has  pleased  God  to 
devise  a  plan  of  salvation  as  revealed  in  the  gospel,  ol 
which  he  says,  "  There  is  none  other  name  under  heaven, 


WALKING   WITH    GOD.  I4I 

or  given  among,  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved."  This 
plan  of  salvation  centres  in  Christ.  What  does  God  think 
of  Christ?  He  says,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased."  What  think  ye  of  Christ?  Is  he  a 
root  out  of  a  dry  ground  ?  Has  he  no  form  or  comeliness 
that  you  should  desire  him  ?  Or,  are  you  also  well  pleased 
in  him  ? 

II.  Spiritual-mindedness.  The  line  is  clearly  drawn 
in  the  Scriptures  between  those  who  live  unto  the  flesh 
and  those  who  live  unto  the  Spirit,  as  in  the  eighth  of 
Romans,  where  the  apostle  says,  "  There  is  now  no  con- 
demnation to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  walk 
not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit.  For  the  law  of 
the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made  me  free  from 
the  law  of  sin  and  death.  For  what  the  law  could  not  do 
God  did  by  the  sending  of  his  own  Son  to  condemn  sin 
in  the  flesh ;  that  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might  be 
fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the 
Spirit.  For  they  that  are  after  the  flesh  do  mind  the 
things  of  the  flesh  ;  but  they  that  are  after  the  Spirit  the 
things  of  the  Spirit.  For  to  be  carnally  minded  is  death; 
but  to  be  spiritually  minded  is  life  and  peace."  Here  the 
two  levels  of  life  are  clearly  defined — the  level  of  the  flesh 
and  the  level  of  the  Spirit. 

To  the  former  belong  all  such  as  give  themselves  to 
sordid  pursuits ;  who  are  troubled  as  to  what  they  shall 
eat  and  drink  and  wherewithal  they  shall  be  clothed ;  who 
are  chiefly  troubled  about  a  livelihood  or  self-indulgence. 
If  the  flesh  were  the  whole  man  this  would  be  sound  phi- 
losophy ;  let  us  then  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die. 
Death  ends  all. 

On  the  other  hand,  those  who  live  unto  the  Spirit,  as 
being  akin  with  God,  who  is  a  Spirit,  make  much  of  the 


142  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

higher  nature.  The  abundance  of  their  life  consisteth  not 
in  the  things  which  they  possess.  They  lay  the  deepest 
emphasis  on  duty  and  character  and  responsibility.  To 
them  "  ought "  is  a  great  word.  The  business  of  their 
life  is  religion  in  its  etymological  sense ;  that  is,  the  bind- 
ing back  of  the  soul  to  its  Creator :  they  seek  first  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

III.  Heave?ily-mi?idedness.  We  are  pilgrims  and  so- 
journers here.  We  pass  through  life  like  Abraham,  who 
built  no  house,  but  dwelt  in  tents,  moving  on  in  obedience 
to  the  Voice,  ever  looking  for  a  better  country,  even  a 
heavenly,  and  for  a  city  that  hath  foundations,  whose 
builder  and  maker  is  God. 

The  man  who  realizes  that  he  is  merely  sojourning 
here,  and  passing  on  to  another  country  where  he  shall 
dwell  for  ever,  will  surely  concern  himself  as  to  that  future 
land.  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  when  he  had  determined  to 
sail  to  Virginia,  took  the  precaution  of  discovering  what- 
ever might  be  known  as  to  the  topography  of  that  far- 
distant  land.  He  made  inquiry  of  travellers  who  had 
been  there ;  he  consulted  the  maps.  Much  more,  if  we 
are  going  to  the  celestial  country  to  make  eternal  dwell- 
ing there,  we  should  be  concerned  to  learn  whatever  may 
be  known  about  it. 

Still  further,  the  man  who  expects  to  make  his  endless 
home  in  another  land  will  certainly  take  pains  to  adjust 
himself  to  the  modes  and  customs  which  prevail  there. 
If  Canaan  is  to  be  our  home  we  should  be  mastering  its 
language.  If  all  its  inhabitants  wear  white  robes  we 
should  assure  ourselves  that  a  white  robe  will  become  us. 
If  it  be  true  that  in  that  country  "  His  servants  do  serve 
Him,"  we  should  here  be  practising  an  impHcit,  unques- 
tioning obedience.    If  over  the  gateway  is  written,  "  There 


WALKING   WITH   GOD.  I43 

shall  in  no  wise  enter  anything  that  defileth,  neither 
whatsoever  worketh  abomination  or  maketh  a  lie,"  then 
we  should  be  scrupulously  keeping  ourselves  unspotted 
from  the  world.  If  they  sing  there  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb 
to  receive  honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  and  dominion  for 
ever  and  ever,"  we  should  attune  our  voices  here  in  ador- 
ing praise. 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name  ! 

Let  angels  prostrate  fall  ; 
Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 

And  crown  him  Lord  of  all." 

In  one  of  David's  Psalms  he  likens  the  upward  pro- 
gress ol  a  redeemed  soul  to  the  flight  of  a  dove  :  "  Though 
ye  have  lain  among  the  pots,  yet  shall  ye  be  as  the  wings 
of  a  dove  covered  with  silver,  and  her  feathers  with  yellow 
gold."  The  flat  roofs  of  those  days  were  used  for  the 
storage  of  all  sorts  of  rubbish ;  shards  and  broken  furni- 
ture were  deposited  there.  The  doves  made  their  nests 
among  this  litter,  and  at  daybreak  they  might  be  seen 
emerging  and  darting  upward  and  careering  through  the 
air ;  their  wings  caught  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun  as 
they  wheeled  round  and  round.  The  glory  shone  against 
their  breasts.  Gold  !  Silver !  So  from  the  lower  life  of 
sordid  cares  and  pursuits  the  soul  mounts  upward  in 
communion  with  God. 

But  Isaiah  is  bolder.  He  Hkens  the  spiritual  life  to  the 
flight  of  an  eagle :  "  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall 
be  as  Mount  Zion  which  cannot  be  moved  ;  they  shall 
mount  up  as  on  eagle's  wings."  The  eyes  of  the  eagle 
are  towards  the  noon-day  sun.  See  how  on  poised  wings 
he  rises  higher  and  higher.  An  intervening  cloud  hides 
him  from  sight  for  a  brief  moment.  Up  yonder  he  ap- 
pears— a  mere  spot  upon  the  blue — still  mounting  upward, 


144  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

to  kindle  his  undazzled  eyes  at  the  full  mid-day  beam. 
So 

"  Rise,  my  soul !  and  stretch  thy  wings; 
Thy  better  portion  trace  ; 
Rise  from  transitory  things 

Toward  heaven,  thy  native  place  ! 
Sun  and  moon  and  stars  decay  ; 

Time  shall  soon  this  earth  remove  : 
Rise,  my  soul !  and  haste  away 
To  seats  prepared  above." 

The  end  of  Enoch's  Hfe  was  worthy  of  its  calm  majes- 
tic flow :  "  And  he  was  not ;  for  God  took  him."  His  life, 
as  lives  were  counted  then,  was  a  short  one.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  years.  His  son 
Methuselah  lived  nine  hundred  and  sixty  and  nine,  but 
Enoch's  life  was  the  longer,  for  he  filled  it  full  of  heavenly 
service.  He  walked  along  the  celestial  heights  commun- 
ing with  the  Infinite :  on  towards  the  glorious  sunset,  until 
one  day  the  crimson  gates  rolled  back  and  he  passed  in. 
Death  ?  Oh,  no  !  Enoch  did  not  die.  God  took  him,  and 
passing  in  he  continued  to  walk  with  God.  So  let  us 
live,  good  friends,  that  at  the  last  our  transition  may  be  as 
calm  and  peaceful  as  Enoch's.  A  good  life  is  the  prepa- 
ration for  a  pleasant  death. 

"  So  live,  that,  when  thy  summons  comes  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan  that  moves 
To  the  pale  realms  of  shade,  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death. 
Thou  go  not  like  the  quarry  slave  at  night 
Scourged  to  his  dungeon,  but,  sustained  and  soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave 
Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 


THE  ARMY  OF  THE  POOR.         I45 


THE  ARMY  OF  THE  POOR. 


"  He  said  unto  them,  Give  ye  them  to  eat."     Mark  6:37. 

"  The  poor,"  said  the  Master,  "  ye  have  always  with 
you."  At  this  present  juncture  they  are  multitudinously 
with  us.*  Let  us  observe  the  army  of  the  poor  as  it  files 
past  us. 

Here  they  come :  professional  beggars  leading  the 
way.  Poverty  is  their  business ;  rags  and  tatters  are 
their  stock  in  trade.  What  shall  we  do  for  them  ?  Noth- 
ing. Absolutely  nothing.  For  every  penny  to  the  pro- 
fessional beggar  is  a  penny  less  to  the  deserving  poor. 

Here  they  come:  a  multitude  of  tramps  following 
after — the  unstarched  throng.  Not  long  ago  they  jostled 
each  other  along  the  country  roads  ;  knocked  at  the  doors 
of  the  farmhouses ;  made  their  nests  in  the  hay-mows  ;  but 
now  they  have  swarmed  into  the  great  metropolitan  cen- 
tres. They  are  our  Bedouins.  They  have  no  desire  to 
work.  Their  philosophy  is  in  this  :  "  The  world  owes  me 
a  living."  But  the  world  owes  no  man  a  living;  the  debt 
is  all  the  other  way.  My  brain  and  sturdy  arms  and  legs 
owe  me  a  living.  God  help  me  to  exact  it.  But  what 
have  we  for  the  tramps  ?  Nothing.  Not  a  farthing.  For 
every  farthing  bestowed  upon  them  is  a  farthing  less  for 
the  hungry  and  deserving  poor.  The  Scriptures  give  us 
our  cue:  "If  a  man  will  not  work,  neither  shall  he  eat." 

*  This  sermon  was  preached  in  a  time  of  general  want  and  dis- 
tress. 

The  Beligion  of  the  Future  JQ 


146  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

These  wandering  good-for-naughts  are  the  burden  of 
every  community.  To  feed  them  is  to  foster  the  curse. 
Even  the  bees  do  not  feed  their  drones ;  they  sting  them 
to  death. 

Still  here  they  come:  thousands  on  thousands  of 
wretched  ones  exhaling  an  odor  of  strong  drink.  It  is 
a  curious  fact  that  in  this  season  of  great  distress  the  nine 
thousand  saloons  of  New  York  are  doing  a  flourishing 
business.  The  employing  agencies  report  that  only  two 
classes  of  employes  are  in  undiminished  demand  :  cooks 
and  brewers.  The  drink  habit  does  not  pause  for  famine. 
As  yet,  thank  God  !  no  case  of  death  by  starvation  has 
been  reported  among  us ;  but  there  are  deaths  from 
inebriety  every  day.  In  the  year  of  the  Irish  famine, 
when  we  were  sending  shiploads  of  wheat  and  potatoes 
from  this  country  to  save  the  multitudes  of  the  Emerald 
Isle  from  starvation,  they  consumed  four  millions  of 
bushels  of  grain  in  malt  liquors  and  drank  ten  hundred 
thousand  gallons  of  whiskey  !  Aye,  men  who  have  this 
habit  fastened  on  them  may  be  starving  but  they  drink 
right  on.  What  shall  we  do  for  them  ?  Nothing.  Cer- 
tainly it  would  be  no  kindness  to  place  money  in  their 
hands  to  pass  across  the  bar.  To  contribute  at  this  junc- 
ture for  the  gratification  of  this  passion  for  drink  is  to 
diminish  our  gifts  by  so  much  to  the  deserving  poor. 

Now  half  the  army  has  passed  by  and  still  they  come : 
the  multitude  of  the  unemployed.  God  pity  them !  It 
is  "  hard  lines,"  as  the  Scotch  say,  when  an  industrious 
man  can  find  no  work.  We  leave  to  others  the  discus- 
sion of  the  question  why  so  many  of  our  industrial  estab- 
lishments and  factories  are  closed.  We  have  to  do  with  a 
condition,  not  a  theory.  The  fires  are  banked,  the  ham- 
mer is  still  upon  the  anvil,  and  workless  men  are  going 


THE   ARMY   OF   THE   POOR.  147 

about  our  streets ;  and  the  worst  of  it  is  that  in  a  vast 
majority  of  cases  they  have  saved  nothing  for  the  "  rainy 
day."  One  is  tempted  to  preach  them  a  sermon  on  the 
nimble  penny.  It  were  a  vain  thing,  however ;  for,  as 
Cato  said  in  the  presence  of  a  hungry  multitude,  "  You 
cannot  speak  to  the  stomach,  because  it  hath  no  ears." 
It  is  enough  that  these  men  have  been  honest  and  indus- 
trious and  are  now  in  want.  What  shall  we  do  for  them  ? 
Help  them.  By  all  means  help,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Christ. 

But  to  make  the  matter  worse,  still  they  come  :  wives 
and  mothers,  blue-lipped  and  hollow- cheeked,  with  little 
children,  wan  and  sorrowful,  clinging  to  their  skirts. 
These  are  innocent  of  blame  as  the  sparrows  that  chirp  in 
our  streets.  What  shall  we  do  for  them  ?  Help  them  in 
the  name  of  humanity  and  at  the  word  of  the  Master, 
who,  seeing  the  multitude,  had  compassion  upon  them, 
and  said  to  his  disciples,  "  Give  ye  them  to  eat." 

I.  To  minister  to  the  poor  is  part  of  the  busiiiess  of  the 
Christian  Church.  There  are  sentimentalists  who  say 
Christianity  is  charity.  That,  however,  is  but  a  fragmen- 
tary statement.  Christianity  rests  on  two  great  pillars  : 
(i)  Truth.  It  opens  up  to  us  the  great  problem  of  the 
future  life.  It  tells  of  God  and  of  immortality.  The 
Scriptures  are  a  compendium  of  all  spiritual  truth.  (2) 
Ethics.  It  offers  us  the  decalogue  and  the  golden  rule, 
with  Christ  standing  between  them,  and  in  these  as  the 
basis  of  character  we  have  the  sanctions  and  safeguards 
of  personal  and  social  life.  On  these  two  pillars  rests  the 
superstructure  of  practical  Christianity. 

All  practical  Christianity  may  be  embraced  in  a 
single  word— salvation.  By  salvation  we  mean  not  mere 
deliverance  from  spiritual  death,  but  the  uplifting  of  the 


148  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

whole  man,  body  and  soul,  for  time  and  for  eternity. 
The  purpose  of  Christianity  is  to  bring  man — the  whole 
man — into  the  kingdom  of  God.  This  means  the  better- 
ment of  his  life  here  and  forever.  We  do  not  help  the 
matter  by  saying,  sentimentally,  that  kindness  is  all.  We 
are  bound  to  say,  however,  that  universal  kindness  is  an 
essential  part  of  Christianity.  The  best  definition  that 
has  ever  been  given  of  religion  is  that  of  the  Apostle 
James  :  "  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the 
Father  is  this,  To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their 
affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world ;" 
i.  e.y  it  consists  on  the  one  hand  in  the  building  up  of 
character  by  absolution  from  sin  and  growth  in  holiness, 
and  on  the  other  hand  in  being  good  along  the  way. 

II.  The  church  has  been  attending  to  its  business  in 
this  regard  with  more  or  less  faithfubiess  ever  since  the 
beginning  of  the  Christian  Era.  A  little  history  at  this 
point  will  help  us.  At  the  time  of  the  advent  of  Christ 
the  known  world  was  under  the  domination  of  Rome,  and 
the  sovereignty  of  Rome  centered  in  the  imperial  city. 
The  population  of  the  city  of  Rome  was  estimated  at  a 
million  and  a  half  A  glimpse  at  the  character  of  that 
population  will  enable  us  to  form  a  conception  of  the  uni- 
versal condition  of  things.  Uhlhorn  says  that  of  the  popu- 
lation of  Rome  "  only  about  ten  thousand  belonged  to  the 
higher  orders."  These,  the  patricians,  lived  in  unspeak- 
able luxury ;  they  dwelt  in  palaces,  clothed  themselves  in 
purple  and  fine  linen,  and  put  the  whole  world  under 
contribution  for  the  supply  of  their  groaning  tables. 

"  On  that  hard  pagan  world  disgust 
And  sated  loathing  fell ; 
Deep  weariness  and  sated  lust 
Made  human  life  a  hell, 


THE  ARMY  OF  THE  POOR.  I49 

In  his  cool  hall  with  haggard  eyes 

The  Roman  noble  lay  ; 
He  drove  abroad  in  furious  guise 

Along  the  Appian  way; 
He  made  a  feast,  drank  fierce  and  fast, 

And  crowned  his  hair  with  flowers  : 
No  easier,  nor  no  quicker,  passed 

The  impracticable  hours." 

Of  the  remainder  not  less  than  a  million  were  slaves, 
whose  condition  was  indescribably  wretched.  The  rest 
of  the  population  consisted  of  the  plebs  iirbana ;  these 
were  Roman  citizens,  penniless,  and  too  proud  to  work. 
They  regarded  work  as  the  business  of  slaves.  How 
then  did  they  live  ?  As  clients  at  the  houses  of  the  great. 
Games  were  provided  for  their  entertainment.  It  is  said 
that  there  were  three  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand 
seats  in  the  amphitheatre.  At  the  beginning  of  every 
month  a  ticket,  called  tessara,  was  given  to  each  plebe- 
ian, entiding  him  to  draw  five  bushels  of  wheat,  and  besides 
this  an  allowance  of  money ;  in  the  time  of  Caesar  these 
subsidies  were  given  to  not  less  than  three  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  persons.  From  this  brief  outline  it  is  evi- 
dent that  not  more  than  one  in  one  hundred  of  the  popula- 
tion of  Rome  was  self-supporting.  All  the  rest  were 
slaves  or  mendicants.  This  order  of  things  has  been 
justly  characterized  as  "  a  v/orld  without  love." 

Into  that  world  came  Jesus  the  Christ.  He  came  to 
uplift  the  masses  ;  to  bring  about  such  a  betterment  of 
the  temporal  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  multitudes  as 
should  ultimately  bring  them  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
He  began  the  announcement  of  his  mission  in  these 
words  :  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is  upon  me,  for  he 
hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor." 
That  gospel  has  for  these  eighteen   hundred  years  been 


150  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

leavening  the  lump  of  human  society.  By  it  the  condi- 
tion of  the  masses  has  been  ameliorated  with  each  suc- 
ceeding year.  As  we  look  back  over  the  eighteen  cen- 
turies which  have  passed  it  is  plain  to  see  that  Jesus  has 
done  four  notable  things  for  the  poor. 

(i)  He  has  taught  the  equality  of  man.  He  was  him- 
self a  man  of  the  people.  His  ministry  was  among  the 
multitudes.  In  the  organization  of  his  church  "  not  many 
mighty,  not  many  noble  were  called."  The  genius  of  his 
entire  ministry  was  formulated  by  St.  Paul  in  that  famous 
manifesto :  "  God  hath  created  of  one  blood  all  nations  of 
men."  And  there  is  no  difference :  Jew  and  Greek,  bar- 
barian and  Scythian,  bond  and  free,  all  are  one  in  Jesus 
Christ ;  because  there  is  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  bap- 
tism, one  God  and  Father  of  all. 

(2)  He  has  taught  the  dignity  of  labor.  A  divine  wis- 
dom was  manifest  in  the  fact  that  Jesus,  coming  from 
heaven  under  a  commission  to  exalt  the  multitudes,  took 
part  with  them  in  the  fellowship  of  toil.  He  was  himself 
a  carpenter.  He  knew  what  it  was  to  grow  weary  in  a 
workshop.  And  in  his  fellowship  all  honest  workmen 
are  dignified.     Indolence  alone  is  dishonorable. 

(3)  He  has  brought  about,  by  the  operation  of  His 
gospel  in  successive  centuries,  the  equitable  distribution  of 
wealth.  It  cannot  be  said  of  any  city  in  Christendom,  as 
of  ancient  Rome,  that  in  a  population  of  a  million  and  a 
half  all  money  is  in  the  hands  of  a  meagre  ten  thousand. 
A  system  of  work  and  wages  was  certain  to  change  that 
order  of  things.  It  is  not  true,  as  agitators  sometimes  say, 
that  the  rich  are  growing  richer  and  the  poor  are  growing 
poorer.  On  the  contrary,  the  condition  of  the  poor  is 
being  bettered  every  day.  This,  however,  cannot  be  said 
of  nations  that  lie  bevond  the  charmed  circle  of  Christen- 


THE   ARMY    OF   THE   POOR.  151 

dom.  There  is  said  to  be  a  millionaire  in  Hong  Kong, 
by  name  Han  Qua,  whose  wealth  is  estimated  at  sixteen 
hundred  millions  of  dollars. 

(4)  The  teaching  of  Christ  has  brought  about  a  general 
diffusion  of  educatiofi.  His  gospel  is  the  gospel  of  light. 
He  universalized  the  quest  for  truth  when  he  placed  the 
search-warrant  in  the  hands  of  the  humblest,  saying, 
"Search  the  Scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have 
eternal  life."  Therein  is  the  franchise  of  all  our  schools 
and  universities. 

Thus  the  teaching  of  Christ  has  levelled  up  the  race 
and  brought  the  average  citizen  to  the  position  of  a  self- 
respecting  man.  The  gospel  of  Christ  has  created  the 
"  Third  Estate,"  and  this  is  the  sum  total  of  charity.  The 
best  form  of  alms-giving  is  that  which  makes  beggary  im- 
possible by  placing  the  beggar  beyond  the  need  of  it. 

HI.  As  to  the  business  of  the  church  in  the  present 
emergency.  What  are  we  to  do  for  the  multitude  of  those 
who  are  stretching  out  their  hands  ?  "  Give  ye  them  to 
eat." 

There  is,  however,  a  right  way  as  well  as  a  wrong  way 
of  administering  alms.  "  Blessed  is  he  that  considereth 
the  poor."  The  word  "  consider  "  suggests  the  need  of 
prudence. 

(i)  Let  us  not  give  sejitimentally  ;  for  true  charity  is 
based  not  on  sentiment,  but  on  sound  common  sense. 
The  heart  prompts  an  alms,  but  the  head  directs  it.  Much 
of  our  giving  is  from  mere  impulse.  On  yonder  corner 
is  a  beautiful  blind  girl ;  her  face  itself  makes  a  touching 
appeal,  and  there  is  a  fortune  in  it.  Every  passer-by  is 
moved  to  give.  On  the  next  corner  is  an  old  woman 
with  pain  throbbing  in  every  fibre  of  her  frame ;  under  the 
bandage  on   her  wrinkled  face   is  an  unsightly  cancer. 


152  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

How  few  are  her  benefactors !  If  a  penny  is  bestowed 
upon  her  it  is  thrown  like  a  bone,  to  a  dog.  There  is  the 
charity  of  sentiment.  If  we  give,  let  us  give  from  princi- 
ple and  where  our  charity  will  do  the  most  good. 

(2)  Let  us  not  give  oste7itatiously .  This  was  the  fault 
of  the  Pharisees.  In  the  court  of  the  temple  stood  the 
corban,  a  brazen  contribution-box  with  a  trumpet-shaped 
mouth.  As  the  Pharisees  passed  by  they  took  pains  to 
rattle  their  coins  into  it.  The  Lord  observing  it  said, 
"  Take  heed  that  ye  do  not  your  alms  before  men,  to  be 
seen  of  them.  When  thou  doest  thine  alms,  do  not  sound 
a  trumpet  as  the  hypocrites  do,  that  they  may  have  glory 
of  men.  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  their  reward. 
But  when  thou  doest  alms,  let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what 
thy  right  hand  doeth  ;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  se- 
cret shall  reward  thee."  It  is  certain  that  Jesus  gave 
much  out  of  his  humble  possessions  for  the  relief  of  the 
poor ;  but  observe  that  it  is  not  recorded  that  he  ever  gave 
a  penny.  Newspaper  charity  has  its  reward ;  but  those 
who  give  most  wisely  do  not  advertise  it. 

(3)  Let  us  not  give  indiscriminately.  When  the  men- 
dicant stretches  out  his  hand  the  easy  way  is  to  bestow  an 
alms  to  be  rid  of  him  ;  but  in  this  manner  the  gift  is  wasted 
in  most  cases,  and  we  have  the  less  to  bestow  on  the  really 
necessitous.  To  give  to  every  solicitous  beggar  is  to 
thwart  the  ends  of  true  benevolence.  Nor  is  there  need 
of  so  doing.  II  the  case  be  one  of  pressing  hunger,  and 
such  as  needs  immediate  attention,  let  us  personally  attend 
to  it ;  otherwise  let  us  make  use  of  the  organized  chari- 
ties which  stand  ready  to  serve  us.  There  are  more  than 
twelve  hundred  such  organizations  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  The  "  Associated  Charities  "  has  agents  through 
whom  it  will  investigate  every  case  reported.     Thus  we 


THE  ARMY   OF   THE   POOR.  1 53 

are  enabled  to  give  advisedly,  and  at  this  moment  every 
penny  should  be  made  to  tell. 

Finally :  let  lis  give  in  the  spirit  of  Christ.  He  fed  the 
five  thousand,  and  at  the  same  time  declared  unto  them 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  the  kingdom.  He  was  not  deaf 
to  the  appeal  for  bread  to  supply  the  body's  need,  but  was 
ever  mindful  that,  after  all,  the  matter  of  greatest  impor- 
tance was  the  welfare  of  the  immortal  soul.  In  a  little  while 
the  body  will  return  to  dust,  but  the  soul  lives  for  ever 
and  ever.  It  is  relatively  of  slight  importance  whether  the 
body,  that  will  be  presently  carried  out  to  the  graveyard, 
is  sleek  and  comely  and  wrapped  in  a  satin  winding-sheet, 
or,  worn  and  shrunken,  in  a  cotton  shroud  ;  the  soul  that 
dwelt  therein  has  gone  beyond  the  reach  of  the  small 
questions  of  food  and  raiment.    Was  it  rich  toward  God  ? 

Hear,  then,  the  word  of  the  Master — who  cared  for 
body  and  soul  alike ;  he  had  compassion  on  the  multitude, 
crying  for  perishable  bread  but  needing  more  the  bread 
of  which  if  a  man  eat  he  shall  never  hunger ;  who  stands 
at  the  corner  of  the  ways  offering  his  precious  wares  to 
every  passer  by :  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to 
the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money  ;  come  ye,  buy,  and 
eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without  money  a7id 
7vitho2it  price.  Wherefore  do  ye  spejid  money  for  that 
which  is  not  bread?  and  your  labor  for  that  which  satis- 
fieth  not  ?  hearken  diligently  unto  me,  and  eat  ye  that 
which  is  good,  and  let  yotir  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness. 
Incline  your  ear,  and  come  unto  me  ;  hear,  and  your  soul 
shall  live.'' 


154  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


NATHAN    HALE. 


"  Quit  you  like  men."     i  Cor.  i6: 13. 

The  Greeks  were  accustomed  to  place  the  images  of 
the  gods  along  their  streets  and  thoroughfares  in  the  be- 
lief that  those  who  looked  upon  them  would  grow  to 
resemble  them.  In  like  manner  the  Romans  arranged 
the  busts  of  distinguished  senators  and  emperors  along 
the  atria  of  their  homes  to  stimulate  their  sons  to  emu- 
late the  virtues  of  the  illustrious.  The  custom  was  a  wise 
one.  We  all  take  our  color,  like  the  chameleon,  from  our 
conditions.  We  imitate  the  virtues  or  vices  of  those 
whom  we  contemplate,  whether  gods  or  men.  The  eye 
affects  the  heart.  The  statue  of  Nathan  Hale,  the  patri- 
otic spy,  which  has  recently  been  erected  in  City  Hall 
Square,  New  York,  is  a  preacher  of  robust  manhood  to 
all  who  pass  by.  It  seems  to  say  to  the  multitude,  There 
is  something  better  than  wealth  or  pleasure ;  the  noblest 
thing  in  the  world  is  to  be  true  to  principle.  Quit  you 
like  men. 

But  who  was  Nathan  Hale  ?  He  was  born  in  Coven- 
try, Conn.,  in  1755.  His  parents  early  taught  him  the 
truths  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  he  conceived  the  hope 
of  being  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  With 
this  end  in  view  he  entered  Yale  College  at  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  was  graduated  in  1773.  He  was  a 
stalwart  youth,  almost  six  feet  high  and  well  propor- 
tioned, with  blue   eyes,  brown  hair,  a  broad   chest,  and 


NATHAN    HALE.  1 55 

muscular  frame.  His  voice  was  low  and  musical.  While 
faithful  in  his  studies  he  was  enthusiastic  in  athletic  sports, 
a  leading  champion  of  the  Yale  of  those  days.  At  his 
graduation  he  carried  away  the  Commencement  prize, 
and,  better  still,  he  bore  with  him  the  sincere  regard  of  all 
who  knew  him.  His  college  pastor  said,  "  He  was  the 
manliest  youth  I  have  ever  met."  By  way  of  preparation 
for  his  future  ministerial  work  he  engaged  to  teach  the 
village  school  at  New  London.  One  morning  the  post- 
boy brought  to  the  village  the  news  of  the  firing  upon 
the  minute-men  of  Lexington.  It  was  the  opening  gun 
of  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  blood  of  the  young 
schoolmaster  was  up.  At  a  town  meeting  held  that  day 
he  said,  "  Let  us  march  immediately,  and  not  lay  down 
our  arms  until  we  have  secured  the  independence  of 
these  colonies."  The  rest  of  the  story  is  brief,  and  may 
be  told  in  five  chapters. 

L  Enlistment.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  enroll  him- 
self in  the  Colonial  Army.  He  donned  the  uniform  most 
cheerfully.  Whether  it  was  gray  or  blue  we  scarcely 
know.  It  was  but  a  poor  uniform,  at  best,  that  our  brave 
fathers  wore. 

"  In  their  ragged  regimentals 
Stood  the  old  Continentals." 

The  important  matter  is,  however,  that  it  showed  which 
side  they  were  on. 

There  is  another  army,  enlisted  in  the  service  of  Prince 
Immanuel.  It  is  made  up  of  those  who  believe  in  the 
fundamental  truths  of  Christianity  and  are  willing  that 
Jesus  Christ  shall  lead  them  in  conquering  the  world 
for  God.  Do  you,  friend,  believe  in  him  ?  Do  you  be- 
lieve that  he  suffered  and  died  for  our  deliverance  from 
sin?     Do  you  cherish  tlie  hope  that,  in  receiving  him  as 


156  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

your  personal  Saviour,  you  have  been  received  into  the 
glory  of  the  endless  life  ?  Where,  then,  is  your  uniform  ? 
Come  out  from  the  world  and  be  ye  separate.  Quit  you 
like  men  in  this  matter.  Here  is  the  very  beginning  of 
the  Christian  life :  having  accepted  Christ,  stand  forth  for 
him.  For  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteous- 
ness, and  with  the  lips  confession  is  made  unto  salvation. 

II.  Promotion.  It  was  not  in  the  nature  of  things  that 
a  youth  like  Nathan  Hale  should  be  willing  to  stand  idle 
in  the  ranks  ;  he  would  make  his  patriotism  tell.  In  com- 
pany with  a  few  comrades  he  rowed  down  the  North  River 
in  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  seized  a  supply-ship  from 
under  the  guns  of  a  British  man-of-war.  It  was  a  brave 
deed.  It  merited  promotion,  and  received  it.  Henceforth 
the  young  soldier  will  be  known  as  "  Captain  "  Hale. 

In  Christ's  army  there  are  multitudes  who  seem  to  be 
content  with  a  minimum  of  duty.  It  is  enough,  apparent- 
ly, that  their  names  are  upon  the  roll  of  the  church  as 
"in  good  and  regular  standing."  But  there  are  some, 
the  Lord  be  praised !  who  are  ready  to  stand  modestly  but 
bravely  in  the  front,  as  true  as  steel.  If  at  times  they  are 
criticised  for  blundering,  let  it  be  remembered  that  those 
who  do  nothing  are  exempt  from  such  criticism  ;  but,  alas  ! 
their  life  is  one  long  blunder.  Much  can  be  forgiven  in 
the  life  of  one  whose  main  purpose  is  true.  The  buried 
or  ill-invested  talent  earns  no  usury :  but  the  faithful 
trustee  is  made  ruler  over  many  things. 

III.  Consecration.  A  call  was  made  at  this  time  for 
volunteers  for  a  most  dangerous  service.  The  British  had 
seized  the  lower  part  of  Manhattan  Island.  It  was  evi- 
dent that  they  were  meditating  a  further  advance.  Wash- 
ington greatly  desired  to  know  their  plans  and  purposes. 
The  choice  fell  upon  Nathan  Hale  ;  he  entered  the  Brit- 


NATHAN    HALE.  1 57 

ish  lines  in  the  guise  of  a  countryman,  and  visited  all  their 
camps,  making  drawings  and  memoranda.  He  knew  his 
life  was  in  peril.  The  service  required  of  him  was  one 
which,  in  case  of  discovery,  would  lead  to  most  ignomin- 
ious death  ;  but  he  did  not  shrink  from  it. 

We  honor  the  man  who  in  the  Lord's  army  braves  the 
danger  of  criticism  and  the  pointed  finger  and  holds 
himself  ready  for  tasks  that  others  shrink  from.  A  few 
days  ago  the  news  came  to  us  that  the  Kearsarge  had 
gone  down  at  sea.  Why  did  we  grieve?  The  largest 
craft  in  our  navy  might  sink  and  little  be  thought  of  it ; 
but  the  Kearsarge  had  done  one  heroic  act.  She  was  at 
anchor  off  the  harbor  of  Cherbourg  and  over  against  her 
lay  the  Alabama,  the  scourge  of  the  seas.  At  length  out 
she  came,  and  seven  times  round  they  sailed,  firing  broad- 
sides into  each  other;  then  the  Alabama  went  down. 
And  this  is  why  we  mourn  for  the  Kearsarge.  Some 
men  die  and  the  space  they  filled  closes  up  before  their 
funeral  rites  are  celebrated.  Some  men  live  so  that  they 
are  never  forgotten. 

*'  A  single  hour  of  glorious  fame 
Is  worth  an  age  without  a  name." 

Do  something,  then,  young  man.  Be  somebody.  Make 
your  life  tell,  if  you  are  a  member  of  the  church  of  God. 
He  has  a  place  for  you  as  really  as  he  had  for  William 
Carey,  or  John  Howard,  Hans  Egede,  or  Allen  Gardiner, 
or  William  Wilberforce.     Are  you  willing  to  fill  it  ? 

IV.  Failure.  The  young  spy  on  his  way  back  to 
camp  was  captured.  The  proofs  of  his  guilt  —  the  dia- 
grams of  the  British  camp — were  found  in  his  shoes.  He 
was  bound  hand  and  foot  and  kept  all  night  under  guard  ; 
sentenced,  without  trial,  to  die  at  break  of  day.  Thus  his 
mission  ended  in  ignominious  failure, 


158  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

Was  it  failure  ? 

The  apostle  Paul  desired  above  all  things  to  preach 
the  gospel  in  the  imperial  city.  His  wish  at  length  was 
gratified.  He  went  to  Rome,  but,  alas  !  in  chains ;  he 
passed  along  the  Appian  Way  and  through  the  streets  to 
the  Praetorian  camp,  where  he  was  long  a  prisoner.  The 
only  opportunity  he  had  of  preaching  the  gospel  was  with 
those  who  kept  guard,  or  were  permitted  to  visit  him  ; 
and  then  he  was  led  out  beyond  the  walls  and  beheaded. 
Was  his  mission  to  Rome  therefore  a  failure ?  "I  am 
in  trouble  even  unto  bonds,"  he  writes  ;  "  yet  the  word  of 
God  is  not  bound."  Of  all  living  preachers  to-day,  there 
is  not  one  who  addresses  such  congregations  as  does  St. 
Paul.  He  stands  in  all  our  pulpits  proclaiming  the  glori- 
ous gospel  of  the  blessed  God. 

"  He  always  wins  who  sides  with  God  ; 
To  him  no  chance  is  lost ; 
God's  will  is  sweetest  to  him  when 
It  triumphs  at  his  cost." 

V.  Death.  In  the  early  morning  he  was  led  out  to 
die.  A  scaffold  had  been  reared  in  Rutgers'  Orchard,  not 
far  from  where  the  statue  stands.  The  young  spy  was 
brave  as  a  lion ;  he  faced  his  death  without  a  tremor  ;  his 
last  words  were,  *'  I  regret  only  that  I  have  but  one  life  to 
lose  for  my  country."  Thus  he  died  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-one.  It  would  seem  to  have  been  an  untimely 
death,  and  yet  his  work  was  done.  He  had  finished  a 
rounded  life.  The  fulfilment  of  his  dream  of  entering 
the  ministry  could  not  have  bettered  it.  Life  is  not  to  be 
measured  in  years.  There  is  more  priceless  carbon  in  the 
Kohinoor  than  in  a  wagon-load  of  charcoal.  The  little 
maid  in  Naaman's  palace,  who  merely  pointed  her  master 


NATHAN   HALE. 


159 


to  the  prophet's  house,  hved  longer  than  Methuselah, 
with  all  his  uneventful  "  nine  hundred  and  sixty  and  nine 
years." 

"  It  is  not  growing  like  a  tree 
In  bulk  doth  make  man  better  be ; 
Or  standing  like  an  oak,  three  hundred  year, 
To  fall  a  log  at  last,  dry,  bald,  and  sere : 
A  lily  of  the  day 
Is  fairer  far  in  May — 
Although  it  fall  and  die  that  night  ; 
It  was  the  plant  and  flower  of  light. 
In  small  proportions  we  just  beauties  see, 
And  in  short  measures  life  may  perfect  be." 

Now  three  words  of  practical  apphcation. 

1.  Show  your  colors.  The  good  Lord  said,  "  Let  your 
light  shine."  The  other  day  I  saw  a  poacher's  lantern- 
made  with  an  opaque  slide  to  cut  off  every  possible  beam. 
Are  any  of  us  holding  our  lights  as  in  a  poacher's  lan- 
tern ?  Let  your  light  shine.  Let  it  shine  like  a  beacon 
on  the  headlands.  There  are  ships  far  out  upon  the  dark 
sea  that  need  it  for  their  guidance  into  port.  There  are 
souls  waiting  upon  your  influence.  Let  your  light  so 
shine  that  others  seeing  your  good  works  may  glorify 
God. 

2.  Be  ready  at  duty's  call.  Duty  is  a  great  word. 
Life  is  not  half  so  great.  When  Pompey  was  commis- 
sioned to  take  a  ship-load  of  provisions  to  his  starving 
countrymen  at  Rome  a  fierce  wind  arose,  insomuch  that 
all  his  friends  besought  him  to  delay  the  voyage.  The 
words  in  which  he  replied  to  their  solicitations  are  worthy 
to  be  written  in  gold :  Necesse  est  ut  earn,  non  ut  vivam  ; 
I  e.,  "  It  is  necessary  that  I  shall  go,  not  that  I  should 
live."  A  man  can  indeed  get  along  without  living,  but 
never,  never  without  attending  to  his  duty.     The  cutting 


l6o  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

short  of  life  may  bring  us  into  glory,  but  default  in  duty 
ends  our  usefulness. 

3.  Be  steadfast.  The  patriotism  of  young  Nathan 
Hale  may  teach  us  all  a  lesson  in  stalwart  piety.  In  the 
face  of  danger  he  did  not  flinch.  To  the  very  end  he  was 
a  true  man.  Our  young  men  are  wont  to  revere  the 
memory  of  the  Chevalier  Bayard,  "  the  knight  without 
fear  and  without  reproach."  His  face  was  like  adamant 
before  his  foe,  but  gentle  unto  tears  in  the  presence  of 
suffering.  In  his  last  batde  his  army  was  put  to  rout 
and  he  mortally  wounded  through  the  loins.  He  stag- 
gered on  until,  his  strength  failing  him,  he  leaned  against 
a  tree  to  die.  Then  the  Constable  Bourbon,  coward  and 
apostate,  came  riding  by  ;  it  was  the  hour  of  his  triumph. 
He  drew  rein,  and  pointing  a  derisive  finger  cried,  "  Hath 
it  come  to  this,  O  brave  knight  ?  Hath  it  indeed  come 
to  this?  I  pity  thee."  Then  Bayard,  his  eye  filming  in 
death,  answered,  "  Thou  pity  me  !      I  die  for  my  king, 

but  thou  !     I  die  for  my  country,  but  thou  ! 

I  die  without  fear  or  reproach,  but  thou !"  and  so 

he  fell.  There  is  no  better  way  to  die  than  in  standing 
for  the  truth.  Put  on  your  sandals,  O  youth !  for  the 
fight  is  at  short  range,  and  the  sword,  like  that  of  the 
ancient  Roman,  is  no  longer  than  a  man's  forearm.  Put 
on  the  sandals  of  steadfastness,  that  you  may  be  able  to 
withstand  in  the  evil  day,  and,  having  done  all,  to  stand. 
You  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  Jesus,  who,  under  the  chill 
shadow  of  his  approaching  death,  set  his  face  steadfastly 
towards  the  cross.  Never  was  hero  so  brave  as  he.  Be 
true  to  your  convictions.  Let  no  man  despise  thee.  Quit 
thyself  like  a  man.  Be  strong.  Let  no  man  take  thy 
crown. 


ST.   JOAN   OF  ARC.  l6l 


ST.  JOAN  or  ARC. 


"  So  Esther  drew  near  and  touched  the  top  of  the  sceptre." 
Esther  5 : 2. 

In  the  year  1429  the  government  of  France  was  in 
sore  extremity.  The  nobihty,  torn  into  many  factions, 
yielded  but  a  doubtful  support  to  Charles  VII.,  whom 
nobody  seemed  to  like.  The  city  of  Orleans  was  be- 
sieged by  the  English  army  and  its  surrender  seemed  in- 
evitable. In  that  contingency  the  current  of  all  subse- 
quent history  would  have  been  changed ;  for,  as  Dr. 
Arnold  says,  "  Had  the  city  succumbed,  in  all  probability 
England  would  have  ultimately  become  an  appendage  of 
France."  But  God  is  over  all  things.  Men,  armies  and 
governments  are  his  puppets.     He  holds  the  strings. 

So  it  came  about  that  while  Orleans  was  under  siege  the 
maid  Joan  was  watching  her  flocks  in  the  fields  near  Dom- 
remy,  and  was  seeing  visions  and  hearing  voices  that  said, 
"  Go  to  Orleans  and  deliver  it !"  She  told  the  parish 
priest,  who  said,  "How  can  a  maid  deliver  Orleans? 
Think  of  the  difficulties."  She  answered,  "  I  fear  nothing ; 
the  voices  have  called  me  and  God  will  clear  the  way." 
She  journeyed,  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  terri- 
tory infested  by  the  enemy,  to  the  camp  of  Captain  Beau- 
dri court,  who  brought  her  into  the  presence  of  the  Dau- 
phin. "  Gentle  sir,"  she  said,  "  I  am  Jeanne  la  Chapelle. 
God  has  sent  me  to  relieve  Orleans  and  confirm  thee  on  the 
throne."     She  was  subjected  to  a  rigid  exam.ination  as  to 

The  Religion  of  the  Future  J  J 


l62  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE, 

the  genuineness  of  the  voices,  and  it  was  determined,  in- 
asmuch as  things  had  come  to  a  desperate  pass,  to  suffer 
her  to  have  her  way.  She  was  provided  with  a  suit  of 
armor  as  white  as  a  dove's  breast,  mounted  upon  a  horse 
as  black  as  a  raven's  plume,  and  presented  with  a  banner 
on  one  side  of  which  was  the  fleur-de-lis  and  on  the 
other  the  name  of  Jesus. 

Thus  she  set  forth  to  the  relief  of  Orleans.  As  she 
passed  through  the  walled  towns  and  encampments  the 
number  of  her  followers  increased  until  she  found  her- 
self at  the  head  of  a  formidable  army.  On  reaching 
Orleans  she  patiently  awaited  events  until  the  morning 
of  the  seventh  day,  when,  as  the  story  tells,  she  awoke 
out  of  a  troubled  sleep  exclaiming,  **  My  God !  the 
blood  of  my  people  reddens  the  earth.  Why  was  I 
not  aroused  ?  Quick  !  My  sword,  my  horse,  my  ban- 
ner !"  The  French  had  already  been  attacked  and  were 
being  worsted.  At  her  appearance,  however,  they  rallied, 
and  fell  upon  the  enemy  with  such  impetuous  force  as  to 
drive  them  in  utter  rout ;  thus  Orleans  was  saved.  The 
bells  rang  all  night  and  Te  Deums  were  chanted  in  the 
churches  the  next  day. 

The  subsequent  Hfe  of  Joan  was  filled  with  bitter  trials 
and  disappointments,  until  at  length  she  was  betrayed 
by  her  own  countrymen  into  the  hands  of  the  English 
for  ten  thousand  francs.  She  was  imprisoned  in  an  iron 
cage,  tried  before  the  Bishop  Beauvais  and  sentenced  to 
death.  In  answer  to  all  charges  she  answered,  "  I  have 
been  divinely  led.  The  voices  have  not  deceived  me." 
In  the  margin  of  the  record  are  the  words  Responsio 
mortifera  —  "  The  death-bearing  confession." 

On  May  30,  1441,  she  was  burned  at  the  stake  under 
the   shadow    of   the   great   cathedral    at    Rouen.      With 


ST.    JOAN   OF  ARC.  163 

her  last  breath  she  bore  testimony  to  the  genuineness  of 
the  voices,  and  then  lifting  up  her  eyes  uttered  the  word 
"Jesus,"  and  finished  her  prayer  in  heaven.  The  story 
of  her  death  has  been  invested  with  all  manner  of  fables. 
As  that  an  English  soldier,  who  had  vowed  to  cast  a  fagot 
upon  the  flames,  on  attempting  to  do  so  started  back  in 
affright  at  the  instant  when  she  cried  "Jesus,"  and  de- 
clared that  he  saw  a  white  dove  escaping  from  her  parted 
lips. 

It  was  just  twenty-five  years  afterwards  that  a  Court 
of  Revision,  under  the  authority  of  Pope  Calixtus  III., 
versed  the  original  finding  and  cleared  her  of  all  fault. 
Her  name  came  to  be  universally  revered.  When  the 
English  army,  pursuing  Napoleon  after  his  defeat,  passed 
through  the  villages  of  France  with  sword  and  torch  they 
refrained  themselves  from  harm  in  Domremy  by  reason 
of  their  reverence  for  Joan.  The  place  of  her  execution 
in  the  public  square  at  Rouen  is  marked  by  a  cross  in 
the  pavement  where  pilgrims  come  to  do  reverence  to 
her  memory.  And  now,  after  the  lapse  of  four  hundred 
years,  the  church  that  sentenced  her  to  a  most  painful 
and  ignominious  death  is  about  to  place  her  in  its  calen- 
dar of  saints.  So  time,  the  great  avenger,  vindicates  her 
memory. 

It  may  not  be  unprofitable  for  us  at  this  juncture  to 
review  her  case.  The  charges  against  her  were  of  witch- 
craft and  unseemly  forwardness. 

I.  As  to  the  charge  of  witchcraft,  it  rested  mainly 
upon  her  protestation  respecting  the  voices.  It  is  not  for 
us  to  say  whether  or  no  God  spake  audibly  to  her ;  of 
this,  however,  we  may  be  sure :  he  does  not  leave  himself 
without  witness  to  any.  He  speaks  to  his  children  in 
many  ways. 


l64  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

1.  By  an  audible  voice.  So  he  spoke  to  Abram  in  Ur 
of  the  Chaldees,  saying,  "  Get  thee  out  from  thy  country 
and  from  thy  kindred  and  from  thy  father's  house  to  a 
land  which  I  shall  show  thee."  So  also  to  Moses  in  the 
desert  of  Midian,  out  of  the  burning  bush,  "  I  have  seen 
the  affliction  of  my  people,  and  have  heard  their  cry  by 
reason  of  their  taskmasters,  and  I  am  come  down  to  de- 
Hver  them."  So  also  in  tones  of  thunder  to  the  children 
of  Israel  from  the  flaming  mountain,  "  I  am  the  Lord  thy 
God  that  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  and 
out  of  the  house  of  bondage.  Thou  shalt  have  no  other 
gods  before  me."  And  so  to  the  prophet  at  the  mouth  of 
the  cave  when  the  wind  swept  over,  and  the  crackling 
flames,  and  the  earth  reeled  and  tottered  under  his  feet, 
and  then  the  still  small  voice,  "  What  doest  thou  here, 
Elijah  ?"  It  is  not  incredible,  therefore,  that  God  should 
address  himself  audibly  to  us.  If  it  be  said  that  the  time 
of  such  communications  has  passed  by,  we  may  speak  for 
ourselves  but  not  for  others.  Nor  may  we  put  bounds 
and  limits  upon  the  power  of  God.  He  has  never  spoken 
to  me  in  an  audible  voice ;  he  may  never  thus  have  com- 
municated with  you ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  he  may 
not  thus  speak  to  any  man. 

2.  Through  conscience.  In  this  case  the  communica- 
tion is  as  real  as  if  it  were  articulate.  And,  indeed,  what 
is  voice  but  vibrant  air  ? — and  is  not  conscience  the  soul 
a-tremble  under  the  touch  of  God?  It  is  through  con- 
science that  he  convinces  of  sin ;  through  conscience  that 
he  invites  us  to  the  blessedness  of  the  spiritual  life.  In 
this  manner  he  is  constantly  in  communication  with  us. 
And  yet,  by  reason  of  our  own  wilfulness,  conscience  is 
not  to  be  relied  upon  as  an  infallible  guide.  The  voice 
of  the  Infinite  coming  through  a  perverted  medium  gives 


ST.   JOAN   OF  ARC.  165 

an  uncertain  sound.  The  moral  sense  was  intended  to  be 
like  a  finger-board  pointing  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven ; 
but  sin  has  turned  it  about  so  that  to  follow  it  implicitly  is 
to  lose  the  way.  To  be  a  conscientious  man  is  not  neces- 
sarily to  be  a  good  man. 

3.  In  the  Scriptures.  These  are  the  court  of  last 
appeal.  If,  as  frequently  occurs,  we  are  in  doubt  respect- 
ing the  judgment  of  conscience,  we  may  verify  it  by  a 
reference  to  this  word  of  God.  It  is  the  touchstone  for  all 
thoughts  and  actions.  A  man  may  guess  however  he 
will  respecting  the  points  of  the  compass,  but  he  never 
can  know  to  a  certainty,  until  he  finds  how  the  magnetic 
needle  points.  Dr.  Holme  tells  of  making  a  purchase  at 
a  shop  kept  by  a  Scotch  woman  in  the  days  when  paper 
money  was  at  its  worst.  He  laid  a  bank-note  on  the 
counter,  and  the  shop  woman  took  down  her  "  bank-note 
detector  "  to  test  it.  At  length  she  thrust  back  the  money, 
saying,  "  Ah,  man,  it  winna  stan'  the  book."  So,  when  all 
is  said  and  done,  the  Bible  is  the  ultimate  test.  If  a 
thought  or  an  action  *'  winna  stan'  the  Book,"  that  ends 
it.  Conscience  may  go  wrong,  but  the  Scriptures  are  an 
inerrant  guide.  The  word  of  the  Lord  through  these 
oracles  is  yea  and  amen. 

II.  As  to  the  charge  of  unseemly  forward^iess.  The 
Maid  of  Orleans  did  indeed  appear  in  most  unwomanly 
guise  as  she  led  her  army  into  the  fray.  Was  this  other 
than  a  womanly  part,  or  was  she  justified  in  it  ? 

I.  The  most  frequent  sphere  of  woman  is  doubdess  the 
home  life.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  many  a  time,  in  camp 
and  in  battle,  Joan  would  fain  have  been  back  in  the 
meadows  of  Domremy  or  spinning  at  her  mother's  fire- 
side. Here  a  woman  is  at  her  best.  Benjamin  West 
relates  that  when,  as  a  mere  lad,  he  rudely  drew  the  picture 


l66  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

of  his  baby  sister,  his  mother  bent  over  and  kissed  him ; 
and  "that  kiss,"  he  says,  **  made  me."  Who  shall  esti- 
timate  the  gracious  influence  of  the  faithful  daughter  or 
kind  sister?  "How  far  yon  little  candle  throws  its 
beams !" 

2.  In  society  also  woman  finds  an  important  field,  and 
many  there  are  who  misuse  it.  There  are  young  women 
in  social  life  whose  eyes  are  as  dangerous  as  those  of  a 
basilisk,  whose  locks  are  like  those  of  the  Medusa,  and 
whose  hands  are  as  talons.  Woe  to  any  that  may  be 
ensnared  thereby !  But  there  are  others,  bless  God ! 
whose  speech  is  courtesy  and  whose  hands  are  kindness. 
When  Joan  of  Arc  went  among  the  French  soldiers  she 
found  them  given  to  profanity,  using  lightly  the  names  of 
all  the  blessed  Trinity.  But  such  was  her  gracious  influ- 
ence, as  she  ministered  among  them  in  her  white  armor, 
that,  as  the  record  says,  "  They  no  longer  swore  by  the 
mass,  but  by  my  staff"."  So  may  a  gentle  woman  trans- 
form and  glorify,  if  she  so  pleases,  the  waste  places  of 
social  life. 

3.  And  there  are  times  when  the  broader  life  of  the 
busy  world  calls  for  the  ministry  of  woman.  There  are 
multitudes  of  good  women  who,  for  the  sake  of  a  hveli- 
hood  or  under  the  stern  call  of  duty,  have  addressed 
themselves  to  such  responsibilities  as  are  usually  assigned 
to  the  sterner  sex.  Circumstances  alter  cases.  When 
Vashti  was  summoned  to  the  festal  chamber  by  her  royal 
spouse,  who,  flushed  with  wine,  desired  to  make  an  exhi- 
bition of  her  charms  to  his  revellers,  it  is  written  "  she 
refused  to  come;"  she  preferred  to  sacrifice  her  regal 
honor  rather  than  to  expose  herself  to  dishonor.  But 
when  Esther  was  divinely  commanded  to  go  into  the 
same  presence  in  behalf  of  her  doomed  people  she  an- 


ST.   JOAN   OF  ARC.  167 

swered  bravely,  "I  will  go  in  unto  the  king;  and  if  I 
perish,  I  perish."  Which  won  the  greater  honor  it  would 
be  difficult  to  say.  But  surely  there  are  times  when  good 
women  are  divinely  constramed  to  make  their  influence 
felt  even  in  the  more  boisterous  walks  of  secular  life. 

4.  It  remains,  however,  to  speak  of  the  broadest 
field :  to  wit —  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  are 
fond  of  quoting  from  Paul,  "  Let  the  women  keep  silence 
in  the  churches."  But,  alas !  that  we  should  have  been 
so  long  in  discovering  that  the  silence  here  enjoined  is 
not  the  silence  of  death.  We  remember  how  it  is  written, 
"  I  will  not  that  a  woman  should  teach."  But  we  have 
been  loth  to  admit  that,  apart  from  the  teaching  here 
referred  to — canonical  and  dogmatic — there  is  another 
sort  in  which  woman  has  proved  herself  to  be  splendidly 
efficient  and  wherein  she  has  received  an  unquestioned 
blessing.  The  age  has  moreover  vindicated  her  right  to 
an  important  place  in  the  great  propaganda.  The  work 
now  being  accomplished  in  missions  would  have  been  im- 
possible but  for  her  participation.  She  has  gone  with  her 
brethren  to  the  high  places  of  the  field,  as  Deborah  went 
up  with  Barak  to  Esdraelon,  and  in  her  ministries  in  the 
school,  the  zenana,  and  the  hospital  she  has  "  trodden 
down  strength." 

The  largest  active  volcano  in  the  world  is  in  the 
island  of  Hawaii.  A  heavy  cloud  of  vapor  hangs  over 
it,  glowing  at  night  like  a  forest  in  flames.  It  is  little 
wonder  that  its  awful  splendor  was  associated  by  the 
islanders  with  their  infernal  gods.  Here  was  the  home 
of  the  evil  Pele.  By  her  decree  no  woman  was  permitted 
to  set  foot  on  this  mountain  under  penalty  of  death.  The 
missionaries  came,  and  by  their  preaching  many  were  led 
to  acknowledge  the  Christ.      But  it  was  hard  to  cut  loose 


l68  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

from  their  former  superstitions,  dwelling,  as  they  did,  in 
the  shadow  of  Pele's  mountain.  The  hour  of  duty  had 
come.  Some  woman  must  break  the  spell.  It  was  Kapi- 
olani  who  offered  herself  On  the  appointed  day  the 
people  were  assembled  to  witness  her  formal  defiance  of 
their  goddess.  She  approached  the  sacred  tree  of  Pele 
and  plucked  a  cluster  of  berries  from  it ;  they  watched  to 
see  her  fall  dead,  but  she  turned,  smiled  upon  them,  and 
then  set  her  face  towards  the  mountain  path.  Over  fields 
of  lava  and  crumbling  cinders  she  went,  and  up  the  ragged 
steeps,  until  she  reached  the  crag  where  the  priests  of 
Pele  had  their  temple  :  there  they  stood  uttering  maledic- 
tions; the  people  looked  to  see  her  fall  dead,  but  she 
turned  and  smiled  upon  them  and  passed  on.  Upward 
they  saw  her  climbing,  bearing  in  her  hand  the  sacred 
berries  and  praying  as  she  went ;  she  neared  the  edge  of 
the  smoking  crater;  she  lifted  the  spray  of  berries,  and 
with  the  words,  "  I  defy  the  wrath  of  Pele  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  the  Christ,"  she  tossed  it  in.  They  looked  to  see 
her  fall  dead,  but  she  turned,  smihng,  and  began  the  de- 
scent. The  spell  of  Pele  was  broken,  and  the  people 
of  Hawaii  have  since  that  day  acknowledged  the  Christ. 
There  have  been  times  in  history  when  woman  has  been 
enabled  thus  to  render  a  conspicuous  service  which  no 
other  could  do.  The  time  would  fail  me  to  tell  of  those 
who  have  stood  in  the  very  van  of  noble  reforms  and 
in  the  advancement  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

In  brief,  the  lesson  of  Joan's  life  is  one  of  entire  conse- 
cration. It  was  a  blessed  word  that  the  virgin  mother 
spoke  to  the  servants  at  Cana,  "  Whatsoever  he  saith 
unto  you,  do  it."  The  restitution  of  all  things  awaits  the 
day  when  the  men  and  women  of  Christ  shall  hold  them- 
selves obedient  to  the  heavenly  voices.     All  things  are 


ST.   JOAN   OF  ARC.  169 

ready;  the  cross  has  been  reared  and  the  Sacrifice  slain. 
All  things  are  ready ;  the  unspeakable  gift  of  the  Spirit 
has  been  bestowed  upon  us — the  unction  of  the  Holy 
One,  the  baptism  of  fire  and  power.  All  things  are  ready  ; 
the  great  commission  has  been  given,  "  Go  ye,  evangel- 
ize." From  the  obligation  of  that  word  there  is  no  ex- 
emption ;  we  are  all  alike  included  in  it.  When  we  are 
ready  to  acknowledge  this  obligation,  and  proceed  to  do 
the  Master's  work,  his  coming  will  draw  near.  The  trees 
of  the  fields  shall  clap  their  hands  before  him,  the  desert 
shall  rejoice  and  blossom  like  the  rose,  and  no  one  will 
thenceforth  need  to  say  to  his  neighbor,  "  Know  the 
Lord,"  for  all  shall  know  him. 


I/O  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

THE  APPEAL  TO  C^SAR. 


"  I  appeal  unto  Caesar."     Acts  25:11. 

When  St.  Paul  was  going  up  to  attend  the  passover 
at  Jerusalem  he  was  approached  by  a  prophet  named 
Agabus,  who  loosed  the  apostle's  girdle  and  bound  it  on 
his  own  hands  and  feet,  saying  as  he  did  so,  "  Thus  saith 
the  Holy  Ghost,  So  shall  the  man  to  whom  this  girdle 
belongs  be  bound  and  delivered  at  Jerusalem."  It  was 
not  the  only  intimation  Paul  had  received  of  impending 
danger.  On  the  shore  at  Miletus  he  had  listened  to 
the  entreaties  of  the  elders  who  besought  him  not  to  go 
up  to  Jerusalem,  iand  he  left  them  weeping  there  because, 
as  they  said,  "they  should  see  his  face  no  more."  At 
other  stations  on  his  journey  he  met  with  the  same  voice 
of  warning.  His  friends  all  believed  that  he  was  going  to 
his  death.  But  Paul  was  not  the  man  to  be  scared  from 
his  duty.  His  mind  was  made  up,  and  not  for  a  moment 
would  he  think  of  turning  back.  To  the  words  of  Agabus, 
to  the  tears  of  the  elders,  to  the  entreaties  of  the  brethren, 
he  had  but  one  answer:  *' I  am  ready  not  only  to  be 
bound  but  to  die  for  the  Lord  Jesus  at  Jerusalem." 

On  the  eighth  day  of  May,  in  the  year  56,  he  reached 
his  journey's  end.  The  city  was  crowded  with  such  as 
had  come  from  all  parts  of  the  empire  to  attend  the  great 
festival.  One  day,  not  long  after  his  arrival,  as  he  was 
standing  quietly  in  the  temple  court  he  was  recognized 
by  some  of  his  old  enemies,  who  straightway  began  to 
cry,  ''  Men  and  brethren,  help  !  This  is  the  man  that 
teacheth  all  men  everywhere  against  the  people  and  the 


THE   APPEAL  TO   C^SAR.  171 

law  !"  In  a  moment  he  was  surrounded  by  an  angry  mob, 
who  dragged  him  down  the  steps  and  out  of  the  sacred 
enclosure — with  blows,  and  cries  of  "  Away  with  him ! 
Away  with  him  !" — on  towards  the  very  spot  where  twen- 
ty years  before  he  had  held  the  clothes  of  those  who 
stoned  the  proto-martyr.  But  fortunately  the  uproar  had 
by  this  time  been  reported  to  the  governor  of  the  castle, 
who  came  to  the  rescue  with  a  company  of  Roman 
guards.  In  their  hands  Paul  was  hurried  away  to  the 
fortress  ;  the  people  still  following  with  angry  outcries 
until  they  reached  the  stairway  of  the  casde  of  Antonia. 
Here  Paul  asked  the  privilege  of  addressing  the  multi- 
tude ;  and,  turning  about,  he  spoke  to  them  in  Hebrew. 
The  sound  of  that  sacred  tongue  was  like  oil  upon  the 
waters.  Paul  had  never  addressed  so  vast,  so  angry,  or 
so  dangerous  an  audience  as  here,  but  all  were  hushed  as 
the  tones  of  this  greatest  of  living  rhetoricians  fell  upon 
their  ears.  "  Fathers  and  brethren,  hear  me  !"  And  from 
that  point  onward  they  hstened  till  he  spoke  of  the  calling 
of  the  Gentiles.  This  was  the  signal  for  an  outbreak  of 
renewed  violence.  They  rent  their  garments  and  threw 
dust  into  the  air.  They  cried,  "  Away  with  him  !  It  is 
not  fit  that  such  a  fellow  should  live  !"  Their  anger  was 
only  allayed  by  the  praetor's  assurance  that  Paul  should 
be  examined  by  scourging  and  his  offence  be  ascertained. 
We  find  him  accordingly  stripped  and  ready  to  receive 
his  forty  stripes  save  one.  But  just  as  the  lash  was  raised 
he  quietly  demanded,  "  Is  it  lawful  to  scourge  a  man  that 
is  a  Roman  and  uncondemned  ?"  That  was  a  magic  word. 
It  terrified  the  magistrate.  There  was  danger  of  his  being 
called  in  question  for  a  flagrant  violation  of  the  imperial 
law,  for  he  had  laid  rude  hands  upon  the  sacred  person 
of  a  Roman  citizen.     At  once  his  cords  were  untied,  the 


172  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

instruments  of  torture  were  removed,  and  the  prisoner  was 
committed  to  await  a  regular  trial. 

Not  long  after,  on  the  discovery  of  a  plot  against  his 
life,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  remove  him  to  Caesarea. 
He  was  taken  thither  under  a  strong  escort  and  confined 
in  the  prsetorium.  A  few  days  later  the  high  priest 
and  certain  members  of  the  Sanhedrin  came  down  from 
Jerusalem  and  brought  with  them  a  celebrated  advocate, 
named  Tertullus,  to  conduct  the  prosecution.  He  pre- 
sented the  charges  in  a  speech  of  great  power  and  dex- 
terity, accusing  the  prisoner  (i)  of  heresy,  (2)  of  sacri- 
lege, and  (3)  of  treason.  The  case  thus  opened  was  con- 
tinued from  time  to  time,  until  at  length,  in  the  court  of 
Festus,  it  was  brought  to  a  sudden  and  unexpected  end. 
Paul  saw  that  bribery  and  political  influence  were  against 
him.  He  was  weary  of  being  beaten  about  from  pillar  to 
post.  It  was  now  proposed  to  send  him  back  again  for 
trial  at  Jerusalem.  He  knew  full  well  the  danger  that 
lurked  in  that  proposal.  They  had  played  with  him  long 
enough.  He  therefore  arose  and  said  :  "  To  the  Jews  I 
have  done  no  wrong ;  if  I  am  guilty  of  breaking  the  law, 
or  have  done  anything  worthy  of  death,  I  refuse  not  to 
die !  But  if  the  things  whereof  these  men  accuse  me  are 
untrue  no  man  shall  deliver  me  into  their  hands.  I  appeal 
unto  Ccssar  r 

That  little  sentence  was  fraught  with  the  issues  of  life 
and  death.  It  changed  the  man's  whole  future.  Festus 
was  amazed  at  the  turn  which  events  were  taking,  and 
affronted  also  by  the  boldness  of  the  prisoner.  Gladly 
would  he  have  refused  the  demand  but  it  was  beyond  his 
power,  for  Paul  was  a  free-born  Roman.  "  Hast  thou 
appealed  unto  Caesar?  To  Csesar  shalt  thou  go  !"  Thus, 
by  the  utterance  of  a  few  potent  words,  Paul  instantly  re- 


THE   APPEAL   TO   CESAR.  1 73 

moved  his  cause  from  the  jurisdiction  of  a  petty  provincial 
magistrate  to  the  supreme  tribunal  of  the  empire. 

There  is  food  for  meditation  in  those  words.  They 
were  among  the  noblest  and  manliest  the  apostle  ever 
spoke ;  worthy  of  one  who  never  quailed  before  a  tyrant 
or  bowed  before  a  mob.  There  is  a  notion  in  some  quar- 
ters that  a  man  in  coming  to  be  a  Christian  lowers  the 
full  measure  of  his  self-respect  and  independence.  This, 
however,  is  so  far  from  being  true  that  the  best  definition 
of  a  Christian  is  "  the  highest  style  of  man."  When  Tom 
Brown  of  Rugby,  writing  on  true  manliness,  sought  for 
the  noblest  illustration  of  his  theme  he  found  it  in  Jesus 
Christ,  the  ideal  man.  Yet  did  not  Jesus  lay  down  the 
rule,  "  I  say  unto  you,  Resist  not  evil,  but  whosoever 
shall  smite  thee  on  thy  right  cheek,  turn  to  him  the  other 
also ;  and  if  any  man  take  away  thy  coat,  let  him  have 
thy  cloak  also ;  give  to  him  that  asketh  of  thee,  and  from 
him  that  would  borrow  of  thee  turn  not  thou  away"? 
And  how  shall  this  be  reconciled  with  the  appeal  to 
Caesar  ? 

Would  it  not  have  been  more  becoming  in  Paul,  as  a 
follower  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus,  to  submit  to  the 
impositions  of  Festus  rather  than  to  resist  them  ?  Nay, 
if  this  interpretation  were  put  upon  the  saying  of  Jesus  it 
would  involve  not  only  the  sacrifice  of  personal  man- 
hood but  the  overthrow  of  social  order.  To  turn  the 
other  cheek  to  the  smiter  would  be  merely  a  provocation 
to  further  violence.  To  give  to  every  sturdy  beggar  that 
asketh  of  thee  would  be  lending  a  hand  to  indolence  and 
to  encourage  professional  unthrift.  The  Lord's  words 
are  to  be  interpreted  in  the  light  of  their  context.  He 
had  just  been  noting  the  old  rule,  "An  eye  for  an  eye, 
and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth."     This  rule,  he  says,  is  not  the 


174  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

order  of  the  gospel.  Avenge  not  yourselves;  be  not 
spiteful  and  vindictive ;  resort  not  to  the  Lex  Talionis  ; 
anticipate  not  the  functions  of  the  magistrates  ;  but,  as 
much  as  lieth  in  you,  be  at  peace  with  all  men. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  interpreted  his  command  of  turning 
the  other  cheek  when  he  was  undergoing  a  preliminary 
mock-trial  before  the  Sanhedrin.  Being  interrogated  by 
the  high  priest  of  his  disciples  and  his  doctrine,  Jesus  re- 
plied, "  I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world,  teaching  in  the 
most  public  places.  Why  askest  thou  me  ?  ask  them 
that  have  heard  me  ;"  thus  demanding  witnesses  and  at 
least  a  show  of  judicial  procedure.  And  when  one  of 
the  officers  standing  by  struck  Jesus  with  his  hand,  say- 
ing, "Answerest  thou  the  high  priest  so  ?"  Jesus  did  not 
turn  the  other  cheek  for  a  repetition  of  that  foul  and  ille- 
gal blow,  but  he  again  with  dignity  asked  for  his  rights. 
"  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil :  but  if 
well,  why  smitest  thou  me  ?"  The  literal  interpretations 
of  Tolstoi  are  forever  dissipated  by  a  reference  to  the 
holy  and  spotless  example  of  dignified  self-respect  along 
with  the  harmlessness  of  a  dove  in  the  example  of  the 
Master  in  the  crisis  of  his  life. 

A  German  writer  says,  "A  disposition  to  reconciliation 
must  be  as  strong  as  life  and  unquenchable  as  the  im- 
mortal soul;  but  the  act  of  peace  should  be  as  discrimi- 
nating as  the  distribution  of  pearls.  If  thou  canst  heap 
coals  of  fire  on  the  head  of  thine  enemy,  or  serve  the  wel- 
fare of  thy  fellow  men,  then  mayest  thou  literally  turn  the 
other  cheek.  But  if  thy  wheat  would  fall  among  the 
hemlock  thou  wouldst  better  keep  it  for  the  more  propi- 
tious soil,  and  stand  upon  thy  rights !" 

I.  Paul  was  here  defending  his  life.  All  that  a  man 
hath  will  he  give  for  his  life.     Why  not?     i.     It  is  not 


THE  APPEAL  TO   CiESAR.  1/5 

our  own  ;  it  is  God's  breath  in  our  nostrils,  coming  from 
him  and  to  return  to  him.  Our  prime  duty  is,  therefore, 
to  protect  it.  When  Brasidas  was  wearied  with  fleeing 
from  his  foes,  and  had  cast  himself  upon  the  earth  in  utter 
despair,  he  reached  into  his  wallet  for  dry  figs  and  was 
bitten  by  a  mouse.  ''  My  Hercules  !  A  miserable  mouse 
will  defend  its  life,  and  shall  not  I  ?"  Thus  he  plucked 
up  courage  and  sped  on.  2.  The  Hfe  which  is  thus  en- 
trusted to  us  as  a  divine  inheritance  is  not  to  be  thrown 
away.  Suicide  is  worse  than  homicide,  for  to  blood- 
guiltiness  it  adds  the  shame  of  utter  cowardice.  In  these 
times  of  anxiety  and  suffering  there  are  many  who,  rather 
than  endure  the  ills  they  have,  prefer  to  flee  to  others 
that  they  know  not  of 

"For  who  would  bear  the  whips  and  scorns  of  time, 
The  oppressor's  wrong,  the  proud  man's  contumely  : 
When  he  himself  might  his  quietus  make 
With  a  bare  bodkin!" 

3.  But  life  is  only  valuable  for  what  can  be  crowded  into 
it.  Life  must  be  appraised  in  terms  of  duty.  And  the 
point  is  sometimes  reached  where  duty  demands  the  sur- 
render of  life.  Our  Lord  was  careful  to  expose  himself  to 
no  unnecessary  danger.  He  frequently  escaped  out  of 
the  midst  of  his  enemies  and  went  his  way  because  his 
hour  was  not  yet  come.  But  at  length,  under  the  shadow 
of  the  olive  trees  on  Gethsemane,  he  said  to  his  pursuers, 
"Whom  seek  ye?"  "Jesus  of  Nazareth."  "I  am  he." 
Then  was  he  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter ;  as  a  sheep 
before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth. 
Let  it  be  observed,  however,  that  this  was  not  a  mere 
aimless  or  despairing  non-resistance ;  it  was  with  a  defi- 
nite purpose:  he  chose  to  endure  the  buffetings  and 
contradictions  of  a  sinful  world  in  order  that  he  might 


1/6  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

accomplish  the  glorious  work  of  redemption.  He  saw 
afar  off  the  fruit  of  the  travail  of  his  soul. 

II.  Paul  was  here  standing  for  his  rights  as  a  man. 
It  is  much  to  be  feared  that  there  are  too  many  Chris- 
tians who,  suffering  wrong  without  resistance,  imagine 
themselves  to  be  in  this  the  followers  of  the  meek  and 
lowly  Jesus.  It  may  well  be  asked  of  them.  Who  hath 
required  this  at  your  hands  ?  This  is  not  the  spirit  of 
Jesus  but  rather  of  Shylock,  who  said : 

"  Many  a  time  and  oft 
In  the  Rialto  have  you  rated  me  ; 
Still  have  I  borne  it  with  a  patient  shrug, 
For  sufferance  is  the  badge  of  all  our  tribe." 

But  sufferance  is  not  the  badge  of  the  fellowship  of  Christ. 
The  church  has  taken  up  arms  again  and  again  in  right- 
eous self-defence,  and  points  with  honorable  pride  to  the 
record  of  the  Vaudois,  the  Puritans,  the  Covenanters,  the 
Huguenots,  the  Beggars  of  Holland,  who  fought  for 
Christ's  crown  and  covenant,  and  adventured  all  in  de- 
fense of  their  personal  rights. 

We  are,  indeed,  required  to  be  meek ;  but  there  is 
meekness  and  meekness.  There  is  the  meekness  of 
Uriah  Heap,  who  was  proud  of  being  'umble  as  Diogenes 
was  proud  of  his  rags.  There  is  the  meekness  of  Moses, 
who  slew  the  Egyptian  task-master,  who  whipped  Pha- 
raoh into  submission  to  the  divine  will,  and  whose  eyes 
flashed  fire  as,  coming  down  from  the  mountain,  he  saw 
the  multitudes  dancing  in  mad  orgies  round  the  golden 
calf. 

No  better  definition  of  humility  could  be  found  than 
that  of  John  Milton  :  "  It  is  that  lofty  lowliness  of  mind 
which  is  exalted  by  its  own  humiliation."  It  is  the  very 
opposite  of  servility.     It  is  quite  consistent  with  personal 


THE   APPEAL   TO    CESAR.  1 77 

dignity  and  independence.  Paul  reckoned  himself  the 
least  among  all  saints,  yet  was  he  not  wiUing  to  be  mo- 
lested in  his  rights  unless  he  saw  a  suitable  compensation 
for  it.  All  night  long  he  lay  in  the  prison  at  Philippi,  his 
feet  in  the  stocks,  his  back  smarting  from  the  scourge. 
In  the  morning  the  mayor,  alarmed  by  the  earthquake, 
would  fain  have  dismissed  him ;  but  Paul  said,  "  They 
have  beaten  us  openly  and  cast  us  into  prison,  and  now 
will  they  thrust  us  out  privily  ?  Nay,  indeed ;  we  are- 
Roman  citizens ;  let  them  come  themselves  and  fetch  us 
out."  Would  to  God  there  was  more  of  this  self-respect- 
ing spirit  of  manhood  in  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ ! 

III.  The  key  to  the  problem  is  here :  the  right  of  self- 
defence  ends  where  the  duty  of  self-sacrifice  begins  ;  and 
the  duty  of  self-sacrifice  begins  at  the  point  where,  by  sur- 
rendering, we  serve  our  fellow-men.  We  are  debtors  to 
all  m.en.  To  do  good  is  our  supreme  privilege.  For 
that  all  rights  are  waived  and  all  prerogatives  must  stand 
aside.  When  the  cross  beckons  the  word  comes,  "  Put  up 
thy  sword  into  the  sheath."  It  is  written  that  Jesus  emp- 
tied himself  for  us.  He  laid  aside  his  diadem,  his  royal 
purple,  the  homage  of  the  angelic  host ;  he  turned  not  his 
back  from  smiting,  nor  his  face  from  spitting,  but  became 
obedient  unto  death  for  us.  Let  that  mind  be  in  you 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus. 

The  spirit  of  Paul  is  manifest  in  his  position  respecting 
meats  offered  to  idols.  An  idol  was  nothing  at  all  to 
him,  and  what  mattered  it  whether  the  meat  upon  his 
table  had  been  previously  laid  upon  a  pagan  altar?  But 
there  were  others,  whose  consciences  were  weak  and  who, 
partaking,  might  be  tempted  away  from  their  fealty  to 
Christ.  So  said  Paul,  "  If  meat  make  my  brother  to 
offend,  I   will    eat  no   meat  while  the  world  standeth," 

Religion  of  the  Future.         I  2 


178  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

That  was  a  glorious  declaration  of  independence.  A  man 
may  indeed  stand  upon  his  rights,  but  for  a  Christian  the 
supreme  right  is  to  surrender  all  for  others.  In  this  he 
best  quits  himself  like  a  man. 

The  last  appearance  of  Paul  at  the  Csesarean  court 
was  on  the  occasion  of  King  Agrippa's  visit.  He  was 
brought  to  the  audience- room  in  chains  to  display  his  elo- 
quence. He  told  again  the  story  of  his  conversion :  "At 
mid-day,  O  king,  I  saw  a  light  from  heaven  above  the 
brightness  of  the  sun ;"  the  story  that  Paul  was  always 
glad  to  tell.  He  announced  his  calHng  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  the  Gentiles,  to  open  their  eyes,  and  turn  them 
from  darkness  to  light.  So  earnest  was  he  that  Festus 
said  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Paul,  thou  art  beside  thyself; 
much  learning  hath  made  thee  mad."  He  answered,  "  I 
am  not  mad,  most  noble  Festus,  but  speak  the  words  of 
truth  and  soberness.  For  the  king  knoweth,"  and  thereat 
he  turned  to  Agrippa,  saying,  **  I  know  that  thou  believ- 
est."  The  king  evaded  the  thrust  with  an  equivocal 
jest :  "  Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian." 
Was  there  ever  courtesy  greater  than  that  of  Paul's 
reply :  "  I  would  to  God,  O  king,  that  not  only  thou,  but 
all  that  hear  me  this  day,  were  both  almost  and  altogether 
such  as  I  am,"  and  raising  his  fettered  hands  he  patheti- 
cally added,  "  except  these  bonds  "  !  At  the  conference 
which  followed  it  was  decided  that  Paul  might  have  been 
set  at  liberty  had  he  not  appealed  to  Caesar.  But  it  was 
too  late.  So  to  Rome  he  went,  and  there,  during  two 
years  in  the  Mamertine  prison  and  Prsetorium  camp,  he 
served  God  in  the  preaching  of  the  glorious  gospel. 
Then  the  end  came.  He  was  ready.  **  I  have  fought  a 
good  fight,"  said  he ;  "I  have  finished  my  course ;  I  have 
kept  the  faith  :  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown 


THE   APPEAL  TO   CAESAR.  1 79 

which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at 
that  day." 

The  Lord  make  us  faithful,  that  we  too  may  finish  our 
course  with  joy !  Let  us  acquit  ourselves  as  true  men ; 
permitting  none  to  take  our  crown,  none  to  despise  us ; 
accounting  it  our  highest  privilege  to  surrender  all  in  be- 
half of  our  fellow-men ;  for  we  are  not  our  own,  we  are 
bought  with  a  price ;  not  silver  and  gold,  but  the  precious 
blood  of  Jesus,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without 
spot.  Wherefore  let  us  glorify  God  in  our  body  and  in 
our  spirit  which  are  his. 


I80  THE  RELIGION   OF  THE  FUTURE. 


THE  CROWN  OF  THORNS. 


"  And  they  stripped  him,  and  put  on  him  a  scarlet  robe.  And  when 
they  had  platted  a  crown  of  thorns,  they  put  it  upon  his  head, 
and  a  reed  in  his  right  hand:  and  they  bowed  the  knee  before 
him,  and  mocked  him,  saying,  Hail,  King  of  the  Jews  !  Matt. 
27:28,  29. 

Our  Master  is  a  King.  He  walks  through  Scripture 
with  a  regal  step.  The  prophets  announce  him  as  the 
Wonderful,  the  Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God,  the  Ever- 
lasting Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace."  There  is  a  fore- 
gleam  of  his  glory  in  the  sanctuary  service :  "  Lift  up 
your  heads,  O  ye  gates,  and  be  ye  lift  up,  ye  everlasting 
doors,  and  let  the  King  of  Glory  enter  in ! — Who  is  this 
King  of  Glory  ? — The  Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  King  of 
Glory."  As  the  time  draws  near  it  is  the  King's  herald 
who  goes  before  hirrf,  crying,  "  Prepare  ye,  prepare  ye  the 
way ;  One  cometh  whose  shoe's  latchet  I  am  not  worthy 
to  unloose."  On  his  way  to  the  holy  city  a  multitude  go 
before  him,  bearing  palm  branches,  casting  their  garments 
in  the  way,  and  crying,  "  Hosanna !  hosanna  to  the  Son 
of  David  !  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  !"  He  was  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  days  by  an 
ignominious  death  ;  but  those  who  prepared  the  super- 
scription for  his  cross  wrote  better  than  they  knew: 
"  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  King  of  the  whole  Israel  of  God." 
Years  passed,  and  the  patriarch  of  the  apostolic  circle 
dreamed  in  Patmos  :  "  I  saw  seven  golden  candlesticks ; 
and  in  the  midst  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man,  clothed 
in  the  garment  of  a  royal  priest,  and  girt  with  a  golden 


THE   CROWN   OF   THORNS.  l8l 

girdle ;  and  his  countenance  was  as  the  sun  shineth  in  his 
strength.  His  eyes  were  Hke  flaming  fire ;  his  voice  was 
as  the  sound  of  many  waters ;  and  upon  his  vesture  and 
thigh  a  name  was  written,  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of 
lords!" 

But  the  glory  of  the  eternal  King  was  laid  aside  when 
he  took  flesh  upon  him.  There  was  no  halo  about  his 
head,  he  wore  no  regal  purple,  but  was  simply  a  man 
among  men.  So  disguised  was  he  that,  as  it  is  written, 
"  There  was  no  form  nor  comeliness  in  him,  nor  any 
beauty  that  men  should  desire  him."  In  the  time  of  the 
Saxon  extremity  Alfred  the  Great  made  his  way  into  the 
Danish  camp  in  the  guise  of  a  strolling  harper,  and  so 
disported  himself  among  the  rude  soldiers  with  merry  jest 
that  the  camp  was  filled  with  laughter ;  but  all  the  while 
his  heart  was  full  of  hostility  and  his  eyes  were  taking  note 
of  the  strength  and  position  of  his  enemies  that  he  might 
destroy  them.  The  King  of  heaven  came  down  and  dwelt 
in  disguise  among  us,  but  there  was  no  bitterness  in  his 
heart.  He  came  not  to  condemn  the  world,  but  that  the 
world  through  him  might  be  saved. 

To-day  we  behold  the  King  crowned  with  thorns  and 
decked  with  ribald  purple ;  his  cheeks  are  crimsoned  with 
blows  and  buffetings.  He  who  through  all  eternity  had 
been  familiar  with  the  homage  of  angels  and  archangels 
was  now  greeted  with  mock  obeisance,  and  the  derisive  cry, 
"  All  hail,  King  of  the  Jews  !"  He,  who  in  the  beginning 
sat  upon  the  circle  of  the  universe  and  called  into  being 
the  things  that  are  out  of  the  things  that  were  not,  wields 
as  his  sceptre  an  impotent  reed.  The  stars  of  heaven  had 
adorned  his  diadem ;  now  his  brow  is  encircled  with  a 
crown  of  thorns  and  blood  trickles  over  his  face.  Behold 
the  man !     And  this  was  done  in  the  house  of  his  friends. 


1 82  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

O  ye  pitiless  Jews !  what  if  ye  had  known  that  every 
knee  in  heaven  and  earth  should  one  day  bend  in  rever- 
ence before  him  ?  O  ye  Roman  guards  !  what  if  ye  had 
known  that  presently  all  the  thrones  of  the  Caesars  were 
destined  to  go  down  in  fire  and  blood  before  him  ?  O 
jealous  God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ!  how 
long  wilt  thou  suffer  shame  to  be  put  upon  him  ?  Draw 
thou  the  veil  for  but  a  moment  and  let  these  eyes  that  in- 
solently glare  upon  thy  well-beloved  be  blinded  with  a 
vision  of  the  glory  which  he  had  with  thee  before  the 
world  was !  O  thou  co-eternal  Son  of  the  eternal  God  ! 
to  what  purpose  dost  thou  abase  thyself?  We  have 
sinned  and  thou  art  scourged !  We  have  disrobed  our- 
selves of  truth  and  goodness  and  thou  art  clothed  in  robes 
of  dishonor !  We  have  smitten  thee  and  thou  art  smitten 
for  us !  For  us  thou  art  made  a  by-word  and  a  laugh- 
ing-stock !     Behold  the  man  ! 

Not  only  in  the  shameful  past  was  Jesus  crowned  with 
thorns,  but  now  also  in  this  waning  century,  and  after  he 
has  been  preached  nigh  two  thousand  years,  our  Lord  is 
crowned  with  thorns  and  put  to  shame  in  the  house  of 
his  friends. 

L  We  put  our  Lord  Jesus  to  shame  by  our  half -heart- 
edness.  "  My  son,  give  me  thy  heart,"  is  his  demand,  and 
we  give  him  half  He  is  dishonored  by  the  offering  of  a 
divided  Hfe.  No  man  can  serve  two  masters,  for  either  he 
will  hate  the  one  and  love  the  other,  or  else  he  will  hold 
to  the  one  and  despise  the  other.  The  thing  is  impossible 
and  absurd,  and  yet  we  are  ever  attempting  it.  When  the 
Czar  of  Russia  came  to  visit  Queen  Victoria  the  keys  of 
London  were  presented  to  him  at  Temple  Bar,  and  with 
them  the  freedom  of  the  city.  He  might  go  where  he 
would.   The  old  Tower,  and  Westminster,  and  all  the  pal- 


THE  CROWN   OF   THORNS.  183 

aces  and  all  the  thoroughfares  were  his.  So  when  our 
King  comes  the  keys  must  be  handed  over.  Alas  !  if  pass- 
ing up  and  down  through  our  hearts  he  shall  knock  here 
and  there  at  a  chamber  door  to  find  it  closed  against  him. 
Is  it  here  that  we  keep  our  cherished  idols  ?  Is  it  here  that 
we  go  to  fondle  our  darhng  sin  ?  Oh,  friends,  let  us  be 
one  thing  or  the  other.  Let  us  crown  our  Redeemer  with 
our  purest  homage  or  spare  him  the  contumely  of  the 
thorns.  No  cast-off  purple  for  him.  If  we  cannot  give 
the  ermine,  let  us  forbear  to  mock  him  with  a  worn-out 
garment.     All  or  nothing  for  the  King ' 

"  Take  my  life  and  let  it  be  consecrated,  Lord,  to  thee  ; 
Take  my  hands  and  let  them  move  at  the  impulse  of  thy  love ; 
Take  my  feet  and  let  them  be  swift  and  beautiful  for  thee ; 
Take  my  voice  and  let  me  sing  always,  only,  for  my  King; 
Take  my  lips  and  let  them  be  filled  with  messages  from  thee ; 
Take  my  silver  and  my  gold — not  a  mite  would  I  withhold  ; 
Take  my  moments  and  my  days,  let  them  flow  in  endless  praise ; 
Take  my  intellect  and  use  every  power  as  thou  shalt  choose ; 
Take  my  will  and  make  it  thine ;  it  shall  be  no  longer  mine ; 
Take  my  heart,  it  is  thine  own  ;  it  shall  be  thy  royal  throne  ; 
Take  my  love,  my  God ;  I  pour  at  thy  feet  its  treasure  store ; 
Take  myself,  and  I  will  be  ever,  only,  all  for  thee  !" 

II.  We  dishonor  Christ  by  worldly  conformity.  It 
was  said  in  the  olden  time,  **  Israel  shall  abide  alone  and 
shall  not  be  reckoned  among  the  nations."  To  this  end 
God  secluded  his  people  in  Palestine  as  in  a  closet,  walled 
in  by  mountains  on  the  north,  the  desert  on  the  south,  the 
high  cliffs  to  the  east  of  Jordan,  and  westward  the  great 
sea.  And  when  they  were  driven  out  of  Palestine  he  kept 
them  still  a  peculiar  people.  To  this  day  Israel  is  singu- 
lar among  the  nations,  Hke  the  Gulf-stream  flowing  through 
the  mighty  deeps.  "  Be  ye  separate  "  is  his  word  to  us. 
*'  Ye  are  a  chosen  generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  a  holy 


l84  THE    RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

nation,  a  peculiar  people ;  that  ye  should  show  forth  the 
praises  of  him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into 
his  marvellous  light." 

There  is  a  line,  real,  yet  invisible  as  the  tropics,  divi- 
ding between  the  world  and  the  people  of  God.  On  the 
one  hand  there  is  danger  that  we  may  make  artificial  dis- 
tinctions, and  draw  the  line  where  God  never  intended  it 
to  be ;  on  the  other,  we  are  constantly  tempted  to  obliter- 
ate the  boundary  and  adjust  our  lives  to  the  methods  of 
the  world.  Just  where  is  the  line  of  separation  ?  At  sin. 
Sin  is  the  danger  line.  God  help  us  to  keep  ourselves 
from  passing  it.  He  who  cherishes  sin  in  any  form  is 
sure  to  be  defiled  by  it.  To  rest  one's  head  in  Delilah's 
lap  is  to  be  shorn  of  one's  locks,  sooner  or  later,  and  to 
be  set  grinding  at  the  mill  in  Dagon's  temple.  To  pitch 
one's  tent  toward  Sodom  is  to  be  inevitably  drawn  into 
complicity  with  ungodliness  and  to  share  in  the  misfor- 
tune of  the  doomed  city.  To  warm  one's  hands,  like 
Peter  in  the  high  priest's  palace,  at  the  fire  which  the 
enemies  of  Christ  have  kindled  is  foolhardiness  which 
too  often  ends  in  the  denial  of  the  Lord.  Our  safety  lies 
in  total  abstinence.  Touch  not,  taste  not,  handle  not  the 
unclean  thing. 

III.  We  subject  our  Lord  to  scorn  by  pharisaic  ex- 
clusiveness.  "  One  family  we  dwell  in  him."  His  prayer 
was  that  "  they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou,  Father,  art  in 
me  and  I  in  thee,  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou 
hast  sent  me."  From  this  we  proceed  to  argue  for 
church  union;  for  the  obliteration  of  denominational 
lines.  It  is  not  denominationalism,  however,  that  dis- 
honors the  Saviour  in  these  days.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  denominations  which  are  founded  upon  iHe  sound 
principle  of  difference  of  opinion  in  non-essentials  were 


The  crown  of  thorns.  185 

never  so  kindly  disposed  towards  each  other.  There  is 
no  quarrel  among  the  denominations.  No,  no.  The 
thing  we  want  is  not  church  union,  but  Christian  union. 
We  need  to  feel  that  all  members  of  the  great  family  are 
one  in  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  no  room  for  either  churches 
for  the  rich  or  churches  for  the  poor.  The  very  sugges- 
tion of  caste  in  this  fellowship  must  give  a  stinking  savor 
in  the  nostrils  of  God.  There  is  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one 
baptism,  one  God,  and  one  Father  of  us  all. 

It  is  said  that  the  '*  Avenue  Churches  "  have  no  wel- 
come for  the  poor.  I  do  not  beHeve  it.  But  there  is  no- 
where in  the  wealthy  churches  so  much  of  the  spirit  of 
kinship  as  there  should  be.  We  speak  of  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  "  lapsed  masses  "  and  of  the  "  unchurched 
multitudes,"  but  we  are  too  willing  to  farm  out  this  work 
of  evangelization  to  the  Salvation  Army  and  kindred 
bodies,  "whose  methods,"  as  we  say,  "are  better  adapted 
to  it."  But  do  we  remember  that  our  Lord  Jesus  paid 
special  attention  to  these  multitudes  ?  He  came  to  seek 
and  to  save  the  lost.  He  went  up  to  Sychar,  to  speak 
with  a  woman  of  the  town.  He  went  up  to  the  land  of 
the  Gadarenes,  to  save  a  demoniac  who  was  feared  by  all. 
He  suffered  a  repentant  courtesan  to  anoint  his  feet.  The 
last  thing  he  ever  did  was  to  save  a  pariah ;  and  he  went 
back  to  his  eternal  glory  leading  by  the  hand  a  penitent 
thief  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord  ;  nor  bet- 
ter than  his  lord ;  nor  more  respectable  than  his  lord. 
Let  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  Jesus  be  also  in  us. 

IV.  We  dishonor  Christ  by  our  melancholy. .  We  are 
indeed  born  to  trouble  as  the  sparks  do  fly  upward  ;  but 
in  this  we  are  no  more  unfortunate  than  other  men,  and 
there  are  some  things  which  ought  to  make  us  very 
happy  if  we  are  the  children  ol  God  :    i.  He  knows.     He 


1 86  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

is  aware  of  all  the  burdens  that  rest  upon  us.  He  sitteth 
as  a  refiner  of  silver,  so  that  no  trial  is  permitted  to  come 
upon  us  beyond  what  we  are  able  to  bear.  2.  All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  him ;  our 
tribulation  worketh  for  us  the  peaceable  fruits  of  right- 
eousness, if  we  are  exercised  thereby.  That  is  to  say, 
they  perfect  our  character.  The  perfume  comes  from  the 
bruising  of  the  herb  ;  the  splendor  of  the  diamond  from  its 
grinding.  3.  These  light  afflictions,  which  are  but  for  a 
little  while,  work  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory.  Glory  !  A  mule- driver  in  the  army  of 
Alexander,  finding  that  his  beast  of  burden  was  wearied 
with  the  bags  of  the  king's  treasure,  laid  them  on  his  own 
shoulders  and  carried  them  for  a  time,  until  he  also  bowed 
beneath  them.  The  king,  who  had  been  noting  this,  said, 
"  Man,  be  of  good  courage;  bear  the  burden  to  thy  tent, 
for  it  is  thine  own !"  His  own  ?  How  every  weary  sinew 
took  new  strength  from  that  word  !  Our  sorrows  are  the 
earnest  of  an  endless  glory.  We  can  bear  them  bravely 
to  our  tents.  Why  should  our  countenances  be  cast 
down  when  we  are  the  children  of  the  King,  and  all  the 
delights  of  heaven  are  before  us  ? 

V.  Our  formalism  is  an  offense  to  the  Lord.  Once 
it  is  said  God  laughed.  It  was  when  the  kings  of  the 
earth  set  themselves  and  the  rulers  took  counsel  together, 
saying,  "  Let  us  break  his  bands  asunder  and  cast  away 
his  cords  from  us."  Once  it  is  said  that  he  was  affected 
with  nausea.  It  was  when  his  people  were  keeping  up  the 
form  of  outward  worship  while  their  heart  was  not  in  it : 
"  To  what  purpose  is  the  multitude  of  your  sacrifices  unto 
me  ?  saith  the  Lord :  I  am  full  of  the  burnt  offerings  of 
rams,  and  the  fat  of  beasts.  Bring  no  more  vain  oblations ; 
your  incense  is  an  abomination  unto  me ;  the  new  moons 


THE   CROWN   OF  THORNS.  187 

and  Sabbaths,  the  calling  of  assemblies,  I  cannot  away 
with  them;  I  am  weary  to  bear  them." 

Let  us  take  heed  and  beware  of  lip  service — that 
veneering  of  piety  which  called  down  upon  the  Pharisees 
the  indignant  reproach,  "  Ye  are  as  whited  sepulchres, 
fair  without,  but  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  all 
uncleanness."  Oliver  Goldsmith  said,  "  I  take  my  shoes 
from  my  shoemaker,  my  coat  from  my  tailor,  and  my 
religion  from  my  priest."  The  father  of  the  poet  Shelley 
used  to  say, 

"At  church  on  Sunday  to  attend 
Will  serve  to  make  the  world  your  friend." 

This  is  the  sort  of  empty  show  that  puts  our  divine  Lord 
to  an  open  shame.  It  is  a  weariness  unto  him ;  he  cannot 
away  with  it. 

VL  We  affront  him  by  our  cowardice.  In  the  judg- 
ment hall  that  day  there  must  have  been  some  who  loved 
him — who  were  called  his  disciples.  There  must  have 
been  some  who  had  felt  his  heahng  touch.  Why  did 
they  utter  no  word  of  protest  when  they  saw  him  decked 
out  in  those  fantastic  robes — when  the  soldiers  knelt  be- 
fore him  in  mock  obeisance?  Why  did  they  not  cry  out, 
*'  Take  heed  !  This  is  the  holy  One  of  God  "  ?  That 
would  have  involved  them  in  like  danger  with  him ;  but 
death  is  preferable  to  a  silence  which  makes  us  accessary 
with  sin. 

"Add  to  your  faith  virtus''  said  the  apostle  Paul  ; 
that  is,  the  courage  of  a  Roman  knight.  We  are  to 
endure  hardness  as  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
proclamation  of  Gideon  to  his  army  at  the  well  of  Harod 
rings  out  this  day  louder  than  ever :  "  Whosoever  is  afraid, 
let  him  arise  and  depart  early  from  the  camp."  The 
Lord's  host  is  enveloped  in  the  smoke  of  battle.     Ye  that 


l88  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

are  men,  now  serve  him.  Let  us  not  fear  to  stand  up 
for  Jesus — to  confess  his  love  in  the  world's  presence. 
Let  us  not  shrink  from  the  duty  of  rebuking  sin  and 
warning  the  ungodly  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 
The  service  of  our  Lord  is  not  a  dress  parade.  We 
wrestle  not  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  principali- 
ties and  powers.  Therefore,  quit  you  like  men.  The 
call  is  for  Daniels,  who  shall  pray  at  their  open  windows 
in  defiance  of  royal  edicts.  The  call  is  for  witnesses  like 
those  of  Smithfield  and  the  Inquisition,  who  sang  the 
Guudeamus  while  their  flesh  was  hissing  in  the  flames. 
The  call  is  for  a  braver  ministry  and  a  more  fearless  body 
of  believers,  who  shall  lift  up  their  voices  in  every  judg- 
ment hall  and  tear  the  beggar's  purple  from  the  King  ; 
who  shall  cry,  "  All  hail !"  with  voices  so  clear  that  every 
hostile  sword  shall  leap  from  its  scabbard  to  give  them 
welcome  into  the  fellowship  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ. 
Are  you  afraid  ?  Drag  your  fears  to  the  altar,  as  Elijah 
did  the  prophets  of  Baal,  and  slay  them  before  God ! 

VIL  We  put  dishonor  on  our  blessed  Lord  by  our 
indifference  to  his  work.  The  command  is,  "  Seek  ye 
first  of  all  the  kingdom  of  God."  That  means  that  our 
supreme  concern  must  be  for  the  conversion  of  souls. 
"  Go  ye,  evangelize."  But  how  can  we,  when  every  mo- 
ment is  consumed  in  secular  tasks  ?  How  can  we,  when 
our  utmost  endeavor  is  needed  for  the  toil  that  keeps 
soul  and  body  together  ?  Ah,  iriends,  the  trouble  lies  not 
there.  I  have  stood  beside  a  weaver  at  his  loom  and 
noted  his  interest  in  conversation,  while  all  the  while  the 
shuttle  flew  to  and  fro  and  the  pattern  was  forming  in  the 
fabric.  A  man  can  look  to  food  and  raiment  and  still  be 
intent  upon  the  aflairs  of  the  kingdom  every  hour  of  the 
day.     William  Carey  sat  in  his  cobbler-shop  in  North- 


THE   CROWN   OF  THORNS.  1 89 

amptonshire  with  lap-stone  on  his  knee  hammering  for  a 
Hvelihood.  But  on  the  wall  beside  him  hung  a  map  of  the 
world — and  his  heart  was  above  his  shop.  He  was  ever 
hearing  his  Master's  word,  "Go  ye."  His  heart  was  in 
far-off  India,  and  while  cobbHng  shoes  he  was  bringing 
the  Hindoos  into  the  hght  of  God.  In  like  manner  our 
first  interest  should  be  in  the  service  of  our  Lord.  There 
is  such  a  thing  as  an  active  Christian  life;  an  unreserved 
Christian  life.  Do  we  know  it  ?  Have  we  attained  unto 
it? 

But  though  we  thus  speak,  beloved,  we  are  persuaded 
better  things  of  you.  It  is  right  that  the  average  Chris- 
tian should  have  credit  for  desiring  to  live  a  holy  and 
consistent  life.  We  are  all  alike,  however,  in  falling  short 
of  the  glory  of  God.  Paul  said,  "  I  count  not  myself  to 
have  apprehended ;"  but  he  added,  "  this  one  thing  I  do : 
forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind  I  reach  forth  unto 
those  which  are  before,  and  press  toward  the  mark  for 
the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  !" 
Let  us  be  loyal  to  our  King.  And  let  us  ever  remember 
that  he  is  King  of  kings !  Write  it  in  your  counting- 
room.  Write  it  above  your  family  altars.  Write  it  on 
your  hearts.  The  Lord  is  King !  If  he  must  needs  wear 
a  crown  of  thorns  and  a  cast-off  robe,  let  Pilate's  soldiers 
put  them  on.  Stand  thou  aside  in  loyal  grief.  Be  true 
to  the  Lord  Christ !  For  thou  shalt  yet  behold  him  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him. 
Keep  thyself  in  readiness  for  the  strewing  of  the  palm 
fronds  and  the  cry,  "  Hosanna !  hosanna !  to  the  Son  of 
David.  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord!" 


igO  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


GOOD  OUT  OF  NAZARETH. 


"  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?"    John  i  :46. 

And  why  should  not  a  good  thing  come  out  of  Naza- 
areth  ?  It  was  a  town  so  beautiful  for  situation  as  to  be 
called  "  a  pearl  in  a  casket  of  emeralds."  It  stood  in  a 
fruitful  valley  in  the  Galilean  highlands,  encircled  by  a 
belt  of  rounded  hills.  In  the  foreground  were  gardens 
enclosed  by  cactus  hedges,  with  here  and  there  a  pasture 
or  a  grainfield,  or  a  grove  of  venerable  olive  trees ;  be- 
yond, beyond,  and  yet  beyond,  were  the  everlasting 
mountains :  the  long  range  of  Carmel,  traversed  by  the 
shadows  of  the  hurrying  clouds  ;  Gilead,  with  its  rug- 
ged limestone  cliffs ;  Hermon,  crowned  with  a  green 
garland  and  towering  aloft  like  Saul  among  the  prophets. 
If  the  religion  of  nature  were  sufficient  for  the  wants  of 
the  human  soul,  surely  those  who  lived  in  the  midst  of 
this  quiet  beauty  of  the  valleys  and  this  sublime  glory  of 
the  mountains  should  have  been  distinguished  for  holy 
character.  But,  alas  !  the  sweetest  homilies  of  nature  are 
vain  as  the  tinkling  of  cymbals,  unless  the  eyes  of  the 
spirit  are  opened  to  look  through  nature  up  to  nature's 
God.  So  it  happened  that  the  people  of  Nazareth  were 
"sinners  above  all  the  Galileans."  To  be  a  Nazarene 
was  to  be  a  pariah.  The  name  was  a  hissing  and  a  by- 
word. The  words  of  Philip  were  a  proverb :  "  Can  any 
good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?"  It  was  now  to  re- 
ceive an  extraordinary  answer  in  the  person  of  Jesus ;  for 
he,  the  chiefest  among  ten   thousand  and  the   one  alto- 


GOOD    OUT   OF   NAZARETH.  I9I 

gether  lovely,  whose  character  was  light  and  in  whom 
was  no  darkness  at  all,  was  a  dweller  in  that  despised 
town.  He,  the  root  and  offspring  of  David,  was  indeed  a 
root  out  of  dry  ground.  .  In  this  it  would  appear  that 
God  intended  to  bring  together  heaven's  glory  and  earth's 
deepest  guilt,  and  to  set  forth  his  power  to  make  the 
desert  blossom  as  the  rose. 

It  was  a  fair  question  :  "  Can  any  good  thing  come 
out  of  Nazareth  ?"  And  it  was  a  fair  answer :  "  Come 
and  see."  See  what?  The  best  thing  that  earth  or 
heaven  ever  looked  on — ^Jesus  of  Nazareth ;  in  whom  is 
formulated  this  truth — that  a  man  is  not  the  creature  of 
circumstayices.  As  Macaulay  says,  **  The  mark  of  true 
greatness  is  to  prove  one's  self  superior  to  circumstances 
and  to  conquer  one's  environment."  God  is  stronger 
than  the  prince  of  darkness.  Good  is  higher  than  evil. 
Out  of  the  eater  comes  forth  meat ;  out  of  the  strong 
comes  forth  sweetness.  In  the  mire  of  Nazareth  grows 
and  flourishes  the  spotless  lily  of  character. 

There  are  many  reasons  why  Nazareth  might  be  re- 
garded, at  first  sight,  as  a  bad  place  for  the  training  of  one 
intending  to  build  up  character  and  make  his  life  tell. 

I.  There  was  so  little  room.  It  was  shut  in  among 
the  mountains.  Noises  of  the  busy  world  came  from 
afar,  and  Nazareth  seemed  scarcely  a  part  of  it. 

How  many  a  youth  in  our  country  hamlets  is  impa- 
tient of  his  narrow  place  !  What  hope  is  there  for  an 
ambitious  soul  in  such  a  pent-up  Utica  ?  Oh,  to  be  in  the 
roar  and  turmoil  of  the  madding  crowd !  But  there  is 
much  to  be  said  for  a  cramped-up  environment.  The 
exile  in  Patmos,  while  the  waves  of  the  ^gean  beat 
ceaselessly  against  that  barren  rock,  must  oftentimes 
have  looked  away  towards  the  west,  where  the  Roman 


192  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

Christians  were  enduring  hardship,  and  towards  the  east, 
where  the  followers  of  Jesus  were  fighting  with  beasts  at 
Ephesus.  As  the  last  survivor  of  the  apostolic  circle  he 
felt  the  burden  of  all  the  churches  ;  yet  here  he  was, 
"  cabined,  cribbed,  confined."  But  Patmos  had  its  uses. 
The  heavens  opened  to  the  aged  dreamer,  and  amid  a 
panorama  of  glorious  visions  He  that  walked  amid  the 
seven  golden  candlesticks  spake  through  him  to  all  the 
coming  ages.  So  Madame  Guyon  in  the  Bastile,  cut  off 
from  the  earnest  life  of  the  struggling  church,  poured  out 
her  soul  unto  the  Lord  as  in  a  trysting-place  and  all 
God's  people  are  grateful  for  her  inspiring  meditations. 
She  sang : 

"A  little  bird  am  I, 

Shut  in  from  fields  of  air ; 
But  in  my  cage  I  sit  and  sing 

To  Him  who  placed  me  there ; 
Well  pleased  a  prisoner  to  be 
Since,  O  my  Lord  !  it  pleaseth  thee." 

The  secret  of  right  living  is,  in  most  cases,  to  be  useful 
in  a  narrow  place.  When  Louis  XIV.  asked  Colbert 
why,  with  all  the  resources  of  the  kingdom,  he  had  not 
succeeded  in  conquering  Holland,  "  that  little  country  by 
the  Zuyder  Zee,"  the  answer  was,  "  Your  Majesty,  these 
people  are  so  much  greater  than  their  land."  If  our  field 
of  usefulness  is  narrrow,  let  us,  instead  of  complaining, 
be  sure  that  we  fill  it. 

II.  Nazareth  was  no  place  for  an  equipment.  It  is 
not  to  be  doubted  that  the  boy  Jesus  longed  many  a 
time  for  the  facilities  which  others  enjoyed.  There  were 
the  famous  schools  at  Athens  :  the  Garden,  the  Academy, 
the  Painted  Porch  ;  there  was  the  splendid  University  at 
Alexandria,    where    Greek    and     oriental    culture    were 


GOOD   OUT   OF   NAZARETH.  1 93 

taught;  and  down  at  Jerusalem  were  the  rival  schools  ot 
Hillel  and  Shammai.  But  this  lad  must  needs  remain  at 
Nazareth — the  humble  cottage  his  university,  the  Old 
Testament  scriptures  his  library,  and  Mary  his  only 
teacher,  unless  perchance  he  was  permitted  between 
whiles  to  attend  the  rabbinical  school. 

The  ambition  of  the  average  boy  of  to-day  is  to  go 
to  college.  It  must  not  be  presumed,  however,  that  only 
college  students  are  developed  into  thorough  men.  In 
Spencer  County,  Indiana,  in  1816,  there  was  a  lad  who 
was  transported  with  delight  because  of  an  offer  of  six 
dollars  a  month  for  rowing  the  ferry  over  Anderson 
Creek.  His  first  savings  were  invested  in  Plutarch's 
"  Lives,"  which  he  read  in  early  mornings  by  the  light  of  a 
pine  torch.  He  had  but  one  year's  schoolmg  altogether, 
yet  so  well  did  he  use  his  slight  advantages  that  he  be- 
came a  liberally  educated  man ;  and  when  the  time  came 
he  was  chosen  to  steer  our  ship  of  state  through  the 
troubled  waters  of  the  Civil  War. 

We  speak  of  self-made  men,  but  all  men  worthy  of  the 
name  are  self-made.  Some,  however,  work  out  their  for- 
tunes with  more  slender  materials  than  others.  In  a 
recent  Japanese  exhibit  was  a  pagoda  carved  out  of 
ivory.  It  was  not  more  beautiful  than  other  products 
of  oriental  art,  yet  it  attracted  general  attention  because 
a  patient  artificer  had  carved  it  with  a  bent  nail. 

A  youth,  if  so  disposed,  can  find  his  alma  mater  al- 
most anywhere.  In  the  great  university  at  On  was  a  lad 
envied  by  his  comrades  because  he  was  the  adopted  son 
of  Pharaoh's  daughter.  Here  he  acquired  the  learning 
of  the  Egyptians,  but  this  did  not  furnish  the  working 
capital  for  his  useful  life.  Down  in  the  desert  of  Midian, 
watching   his   flocks,   he  found   his  needed    curriculum. 

Religion  of  the  Future.  1 ,3 


194  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURD. 

Ah,  that  was  a  college !  The  great  mountains,  the  starry- 
heavens,  long  days  of  meditation  in  the  still  pastures — and 
then  the  burning  bush,  and  the  solitude  broken  by  the 
voice  of  God. 

III.  The  Youth  of  Nazareth  found  no  patronage  there. 
He  knew  his  great  errand.  He  was  ever  mindful  of  the 
baptism  wherewith  he  was  to  be  baptized,  but  his  towns- 
men did  not  sympathize  with  him.  Not  even  his  breth- 
ren believed  in  him.  There  was,  indeed,  some  confi- 
dence between  him  and  his  mother — a  blessed  mother's 
secret,  but  it  was  scarcely  a  matter  for  her  to  speak  of. 
Thus  the  lad  kept  his  own  counsel  and  plodded  on. 

And  many  a  soul  is  growing  unto  perfection  in  such 
unsympathetic  surroundings :  the  heart  filled  with  great 
hopes  and  purposes  and  no  one  to  say  God-speed.  In  a 
little  town  in  Germany  a  lad  was  born  with  a  soul  for 
music.  His  father  was  a  barber  and  surgeon,  and  had 
become  valet- de-chambre  to  the  Elector  of  Saxony  and 
intended  that  his  son  should  study  law.  The  boy,  with 
the  compHcity  of  his  aunt,  smuggled  a  poor  weak-voiced 
spinet  into  his  attic  and  there  he  spent  the  solitary  hours. 
At  eight  years  of  age  he  was  taken  by  his  father  for  a 
visit  to  the  casde  of  Saxe-Weissenfels.  While  his  father 
was  conversing  with  the  duke  he  stole  away  to  the  chapel, 
and  when  they  sought  him  there  he  sat  upon  the  organ 
stool,  like  a  brownie  with  dangling  feet,  in  a  very  heaven 
of  melody.  In  after  years  he  wrote  the  oratorio  of  ' '  The 
Messiah." 

And  thus  it  often  is,  the  noblest  spirits  flourish  in 
uncongenial  soil.  Potted  plants  have  to  be  content  with 
a  small  stature.  Trees  that  must  be  boxed  and  coddled 
are  never  of  much  strength.  But  the  oak  takes  care  of 
itself;  it  grasps  the  rock  beneath  and  subsidizes  all  the 


GOOD   OUT   OF  NAZARETH.  I95 

helpful  lactors  of  the  soil ;  it  throws  out  its  mighty  arms 
to  winds  and  tempests. 

'*  Hurrah  for  the  oak,  the  brave  old  oak ! 
Who  stands  in  his  pride  alone  ; 
And  still  flourish  he,  a  hale  green  tree, 
When  a  hundred  years  are  gone  !" 

Character  is  bred  amid  the  storms.  Out  of  such  Naza- 
reths  come  many  noble  souls ;  they  flourish  and  perfect 
themselves  amid  the  most  adverse  conditions. 

IV.  Still  further,  Nazareth  would  seem  to  have  been  an 
uncongenial  place  for  the  traijiing  of  this  earnest  Youth 
by  reason  of  the  adversities  which  befell  him  there.  He 
knew  what  poverty  was,  he  was  familiar  with  affliction ; 
for  it  would  appear  that  Joseph  died  during  this  period, 
leaving  the  home  desolate.  Such  trials,  however,  are 
greatly  profitable  to  those  who  are  exercised  thereby. 

The  rough  diamond  cried  out  under  the  blow  of  the 
lapidary,  "  I  am  content.    Let  me  alone." 

But  the  artisan  answered,  as  he  struck  again,  "  There 
is  the  making  of  a  glorious  thing  in  thee." 

**  But  every  blow,"  answered  the  rough  stone,  "  pierces 
to  my  heart." 

"  Aye,  but  after  a  litde  it  shall  work  for  thee  a  far 
more  exceeding  weight  of  glory." 

"  I  cannot  understand,"  as  blow  fell  upon  blow,  "  why 
I  should  suffer  in  this  way." 

"  Wait,"  said  the  lapidary ;  "  what  I  do  thou  knowest 
not  now,  but  thou  shalt  know  hereafter."  And  out  of  all 
this  came  the  Koh-i-noor  to  sparkle  in  the  monarch's 
crown. 

After  the  death  of  Joseph  the  oldest  son  became  the 
bread-winner.  It  devolved  upon  him  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  the  growing  family.     Hard  work  in  the  shop : 


196  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

little  outlook  for  ambition ;  patient  waiting,  and  wonder- 
ing what  this  would  come  to.  Many  a  youth  whose  small 
earnings  go  to  the  support  of  a  widowed  mother  or  other 
dear  ones  may  find  encouragement  here.  We  are  all 
interested  in  the  "  Tales  of  Shakespeare  "  by  Charles  and 
Mary  Lamb,  but  our  interest  will  be  heightened  if  we  can 
read  between  the  lines  the  pathetic  story  which  is  written 
there.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  Mary  Lamb  killed  her 
mother  in  a  sudden  frenzy  :  from  that  moment  Charles 
devoted  himself,  in  constant  self-sacrifice,  to  his  "poor 
dear  sister."  For  her  sake  he  gave  up  the  fondest  dreams 
of  his  early  manhood.  When  she  felt  the  approach  of 
her  frequent  spasms  of  insanity  they  would  go  arm  in 
arm  to  Hoxton  Asylum,  both  weeping  as  they  went,  and 
he  carrying  the  strait-jacket  in  his  hand.  A  hundred 
pounds  was  his  annual  income,  and  for  more  than  forty 
years  he  affectionately  shared  it  with  her.  A  simple,  un- 
eventful life;  yet  was  there  not  something  splendidly 
heroic  in  it  ? 

V.  But  the  most  disheartening  among  all  conditions,  in 
the  little  town  where  Jesus  dwelt,  was  sin.  Sin  all  around 
him.  The  air  was  filled  with  the  discordant  sounds  of 
blasphemy  and  uncleanness.  Yet,  being  in  Nazareth,  he 
was  not  of  it.  A  man  may  indeed  abide  in  such  an  envi- 
ronment and  yet  be  superior ;  as  some  one  has  said,  a 
man  cannot  prevent  an  unclean  bird  from  flying  over  his 
head,  but  he  can  prevent  it  building  its  nest  in  his  hair. 

It  would  appear,  however,  that  in  this  case  Jesus  had 
greatly  the  advantage  of  us  in  that,  while  sin  was  all 
around  him,  it  has  invaded  our  nature.  It  throbs  in  our 
veins  ;  it  is  woven  in  the  very  nature  of  our  being ;  brain, 
conscience,  and  heart  are  defiled  by  it.  Yet,  even  so,  sin 
may  be  subsidized  to  our  spiritual  growth.     Sin  is  not 


GOOD   OUT   OF   NAZARETH.  I97 

excluded  from  the  "  all  things  "  which  by  the  overruHng 
of  divine  providence  are  made  to  work  together  for  good 
to  them  that  love  God.  On  the  one  hand,  it  reveals  the 
divine  character  in  clearest  light.  As  we  stand  by  the 
pit  out  of  which  we  have  been  delivered  we  perceive 
God's  love  in  the  stretching  out  of  his  hands  towards  us  ; 
his  holiness,  in  the  immolation  of  his  own  Son  for  the 
satisfaction  of  righteous  law ;  his  justice,  in  that  he  could 
not  forgive  without  such  expiation ;  his  wisdom,  in  the 
devising  of  a  scheme  so  simple  and  yet  so  glorious  as 
that  of  Calvary ;  and  his  omnipotence,  in  that  hereby  he 
is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  him. 
In  sin  itself  there  is  nothing  good,  but  in  the  overruling 
of  sin  there  is  a  great  fruitage  of  spiritual  profit.  No 
doubt  the  mother  of  Bartimeus  mourned  over  the  bhnd- 
ness  of  her  child,  but  the  time  came  when  that  blindness, 
like  an  angel,  led  him  to  the  wayside  when  Jesus  passed 
by,  and  won  for  him  the  ministry  of  heahng.  Then  on  a 
sudden  his  eyes  were  opened  to  the  glory  of  the  hillsides 
and  of  the  heavens  above,  and,  more  wonderful  still,  to 
the  beauty  of  the  face  of  the  well-beloved  Son  of  God. 

Then,  too,  by  the  overcoming  of  sin  we  magnify  our 
ultimate  triumph.  When  Pompey  returned  from  his  east- 
ern conquests  there  was  a  line  of  barbaric  kings  who,  in 
chains,  were  dragged  at  his  chariot  wheels.  Thus  at  the 
last  we  shall  come  to  heaven's  gate  dragging  our  lusts 
and  passions  and  vanquished  habits  in  chains.  Great  are 
the  rewards  offered  to  "him  that  overcometh:"  a  white 
stone  with  a  new  name  written  thereon,  access  to  the  tree 
of  life  in  the  midst  of  paradise,  a  place  upon  the  throne 
beside  the  King ! 

Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  ?  Come 
and  see.    In  Jesus  behold  the  answer,  and  in  all  who  faith- 


198  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

fully  follow  him.  There  are  multitudes  of  noble  men  and 
women  who  have  come  out  of  Nazareth  strengthened  by- 
adversity  and  made  perfect  through  suffering.  Lift  up 
your  eyes  and  see.  All  heaven  is  full  of  souls  redeemed 
out  of  Nazareth.  "  And  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  multi- 
tude, which  no  man  could  number,  standing  before  the 
throne  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white  robes, 
and  with  palms  in  their  hands.  And  one  of  the  elders 
said  unto  me,  Who  are  these  which  are  arrayed  in  white 
robes  ?  and  whence  came  they  ?  And  I  said  unto  him. 
Sir,  thou  knowest.  And  he  said,  These  are  they  which 
came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their 
robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 
Therefore  are  they  before  the  throne;  and  they  shall 
hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more ;  neither  shall 
the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat.  For  the  Lamb 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  them,  and 
lead  them  unto  fountains  of  living  waters ;  and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes." 


THE    RESURRECTION    HERE   AND   NOW.  I99 

THE 

RESURRECTION  HERE  AND  NOW. 


"  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  hour  is  coming,  and  now  is, 
when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God:  and  they  that 
hear  shall  live."    John  5:25. 

Our  Lord  was  no  respecter  of  persons.  He  came  to 
seek  and  save  the  lost.  He  instructed  the  Rabbi  Nicode- 
mus  and  called  into  his  service  the  publican  Matthew 
from  the  receipt  of  customs.  The  rich  and  learned  have 
souls  to  be  saved.  Indeed  there  is  reason  to  suspect  that 
sages  and  millionaires  are  spiritually  the  most  neglected 
people  on  earth.  But  the  Lord  went  out  after  them  ;  and 
he  sought  the  poor  and  ignorant  as  well.  By  the  sheep- 
market  was  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  whose  porches  were 
filled  with  the  blind  and  withered  and  halt.  He  walked 
among  them  with  infinite  compassion.  There  was  one 
poor  sufferer  who  had  been  bound  in  palsy  thirty  and 
eight  years.  Thirty  and  eight  years  of  pain  and  weari- 
ness and  hoping  against  hope!  And  Jesus  said  to  him, 
"  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ?"  Would  he !  "  Aye,  Mas- 
ter ;  but  when  the  waters  are  troubled  I  have  none  to  put 
me  in."  Jesus  said,  "  Arise,  and  walk."  And  straightway 
he  arose  and  went  his  way.  It  was  a  blessed  deed  ;  but, 
alas  !  it  was  wrought  on  the  Sabbath  day.  The  Pharisees 
were  offended  because  he  had  broken  one  of  their  most 
stringent  laws.  He  justified  himself  in  these  words : 
**My  Father  worketh   hitherto,  and   I   work."     By  this 


200  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

they  were  angered  the  more,  because  "  He  made  himself 
equal  with  God."  He  went  on  to  show  his  oneness  with 
the  Father ;  how  all  his  works  were  by  the  Father  work- 
ing through  him.  And  what  were  these  ?  The  opening 
of  blind  eyes,  and  the  wiping  away  of  leprosy  and  the 
heahng  of  a  few  paralytics.  These  were  but  slight  tokens 
of  the  divine  energy  as  compared  with  the  mighty  works 
which  were  presently  to  be  accomplished  by  the  Father 
working  through  him.  "  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
He  that  heareth  my  word  and  believeth  on  him  that  sent 
me  hath  everlasting  life;  he  shall  not  come  into  con- 
demnation, but  is  passed  frorn  death  unto  life.  The  hour 
cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  God :  and  they  that  hear  shall  live." 

He  was  now  addressing  the  Pharisees  on  their  own 
ground.  They  believed  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 
In  this  they  were  at  odds  with  the  Sadducees,  who  re- 
jected all  things  supernatural.  Were  not  the  Scriptures 
full  of  this  glorious  doctrine  ?  Had  not  the  earliest  of  the 
patriarchs  said,  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  Hveth,  and  in 
my  flesh  I  shall  see  God  "  ?  Had  not  David  sung,  "  God 
will  redeem  my  soul  from  the  power  of  the  grave  "  ?  Had 
not  other  prophets  seen  wondrous  foregleams  of  it ;  as 
when  Ezekiel  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  valley  of  vision 
and  saw,  everywhere,  the  scattered  bones,  and,  lo,  they 
were  very  dry.  And  a  voice  said,  "  Son  of  man,  can  these 
bones  live  ?"  And  the  prophet  answered,  "  Lord,  Thou 
knowest."  And  the  voice  said,  "  Come  from  the  four 
winds,  O  breath,  and  breathe  upon  these  men,  that  they 
may  live."  And  they  stood  upon  their  feet,  an  exceeding 
great  army.  The  Pharisees  believed  in  the  Scriptures, 
and,  therefore,  they  believed  in  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead. 


THE   RESURRECTION    HERE   AND    NOW.  201 

But  here  was  something-  different.  "  The  hour  cometh, 
ayid  now  is''  The  reference  is  to  something  which  is 
going  on  here  and  now — a  spiritual  resurrection ;  the 
coming  forth  out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  out  of  bond- 
age into  the  glorious  hberty  of  the  children  of  God.  The 
same  truth  was  set  forth  by  our  Lord  in  comforting  Mar- 
tha for  her  brother's  death.  He  said  unto  her,  "  Thy 
brother  shall  rise  again."  And  Martha  said,  "  I  know 
that  he  shall  rise  again,  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last 
day."  Jesus  said,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  ; 
he  that  beUeveth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall 
he  live :  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall 
never  die." 

I.  Sin  is  death.  This  is  the  most  dreadful  of  the  many 
figures  under  which  it  is  represented.  It  is  spoken  of  as 
bondage ;  for  he  that  doeth  sin  is  the  servant  of  it.  As 
exile ;  the  sinner  is  in  the  far  country,  far  from  home  and 
kindred  and  happiness,  wasting  his  substance  in  riotous 
living.  It  is  debt;  I  owe  ten  thousand  talents,  and, 
alas !  am  bankrupt.  We  are  all  alike  concluded  (/.  e., 
imprisoned)  under  sin.  We  are  in  the  debtor's  jail,  and 
shall  not  come  out  thence  until  we  have  paid  the  utmost 
farthing.  It  is  defilement :  for  in  the  last  reduction — woe 
to  us  who  outwardly  seem  so  clean  and  wholesome — sin 
is  filth,  a  foul  disease  that  robs  us  of  our  self-respect  and 
makes  us  unpresentable  before  God  and  men  :  as  it  is 
written,  "  From  the  crown  of  the  head  unto  the  soles  of 
the  feet,  there  is  no  soundness,  but  wounds  and  bruises 
and  putrefying  sores." 

But,  worst  of  all,  sin  is  spiritual  death.  Not  that  the 
sinner  has  no  semblance  of  life,  but  all  the  faculties  and 
powers  of  his  higher  nature  have  lost  their  vigor.  He 
has  a  name  to  Hve.  but  is  dead.     An  ice-floe  drifted  from 


202  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

the  delta  of  the  river  Lena,  on  the  northern  coast  of  Si- 
beria, clear  across  into  Davis  Strait.  On  this  ice-floe  was 
the  body  of  one  of  the  crew  of  the  ill-fated  Jeannette.  If 
this  man  had  come  by  the  shortest  route  he  had  made  a 
journey  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  miles;  if  by  the 
longest,  almost  seven  thousand.  A  long  journey  for  a 
dead  man  !  Yet  there  are  men  all  around  us,  dead  as  to 
their  higher  natures,  performing  all  the  functions  of  com- 
mon life.  They  toil  in  our  workshops  and  offices ;  they 
eat,  drink,  marry,  and  are  given  in  marriage ;  they  ac- 
cumulate wealth,  sit  in  places  of  authority,  and  yet  are 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  This  is  not  a  mere  figure. 
The  death  of  the  spiritual  nature,  in  such  cases,  is  awfully 
real ;  and,  unless  there  be  a  real  resurrection,  the  end 
must  be  eternal  death. 

II.  Salvation  is  renewal  of  life.  *'  I  am  come,"  said 
Jesus,  "  that  ye  might  have  life,  and  that  ye  might  have  it 
more  abundantly."  At  his  touch  the  soul  is  quickened 
from  the  dead.  He  who  stood  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus, 
and  said  "  Come  forth !"  with  such  power  that  the 
shrouded  dead  arose,  is  able  in  like  manner  to  restore 
those  who  are  under  the  mortal  sentence  of  the  broken 
law.  Was  it  wonderful  that  Lazarus  should  come  forth  ? 
It  is  far  more  wonderful  that  the  word  of  Jesus  Christ 
should  have  power  to  restore  the  functions  of  a  soul 
buried  in  spiritual  darkness. 

I .  The  eyes  of  the  soul  are  opened  at  his  touch.  It  is 
a  sore  calamity  to  be  blind  in  this  beautiful  world  of  ours. 
A  child  who  was  thus  afflicted  from  her  birth  was  healed 
by  a  surgical  operation.  The  time  came  for  the  removal 
of  the  bandage  from  her  eyes.  She  was  taken  out  upon 
the  piazza  of  the  summer  home  and  her  newly-opened 
eyes  fell  upon  the  meadow  and  the  hillsides  and  the  skies 


THE   RESURRECTION   HERE   AND   NOW.         203 

above;  then  she  said,  **  Oh,  mother!  is  this  heaven?" 
To  many  a  soul  a  Hke  revelation  of  moral  beauty  has 
come  when,  at  the  touch  of  Jesus,  sight  has  been  restored, 
and  God  and  life  and  immortahty  and  all  the  glorious 
truths  have  come  into  view.  Spiritual  things  are  spirit- 
ually discerned.  They  are  nothing  to  the  natural  man. 
He  is  concerned  about  food  and  raiment  and  wealth  and 
honor  and  pleasure;  but  the  real  things  of  eternity  are 
practically  unknown  to  him  till  Christ  says,  "  Receive 
thy  sight."  Then  all  heaven  bursts  upon  his  vision,  and 
he  can  say,  of  a  truth,  "  Whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I 
see." 

2.  At  the  touch  of  Jesus  our  ears  are  unsealed.  To 
be  physically  deaf  is  a  great  misfortune.  The  entire 
range  of  hearing  is  only  seven  octaves.  If  a  sound  does 
not  make  more  than  forty  or  less  than  four  thousand 
vibrations  to  the  second  we  cannot  hear  it.  The  infinite 
range  outside  of  that  narrow  limit  is  all  beyond  our 
sphere.  I  know  a  man  who  has  never  heard  the  song  of 
a  bird,  and  who  is,  therefore,  skeptical  as  to  the  sweet 
descant  of  the  nightingale's  voice.  To  him  the  music  of 
the  feathered  songsters  is,  like  the  "  music  of  the  spheres," 
a  mere  fable.  How  much  of  life's  pleasure  is  unknown  to 
him !  But  the  spiritual  deafness  of  the  spiritually  dead  is 
absolute.  The  Apostle  says  there  are  so  many  voices  in 
the  world,  and  none  of  them  is  without  signification.  God 
is  ever  speaking  to  the  soul,  the  song  of  angels  is  all 
about  us,  the  great  multitude  of  the  redeemed  are  tes- 
tifying to  the  divine  goodness.  All  this  is  outside  the 
aural  range  of  those  who  are  dead  in  trespasses.  But 
when  the  Lord  comes,  and  utters  the  magic  word  Eph- 
phatha^  the  ears  are  unstopped,  and  the  great  truths  come 
home   with   unspeakable   sweetness    to    the   soul.     The 


204  'THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

things  that  made  no  impression  are  now  of  the  utmost 
moment.  God's  promises  and  warnings,  his  sweet  assur- 
ance of  forgiveness,  the  confidences  of  Christian  fellow- 
ship, the  anthems  of  the  redeemed  in  glory,  are  as  real  to 
the  redeemed  soul  as  the  rippling  of  the  brook  or  the  roll 
of  thunder  to  the  natural  man. 

3.  The  life-giving  touch  of  Jesus  quickens  the  spirit- 
ual appetite.  A  man  said  to  me  recently,  "I  haven't 
been  hungry  for  two  years."  There  are  people  of  this 
sort  who  are  taking  tonics  all  the  while  to  stimulate  their 
desire  for  the  good  things  of  life ;  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  zest  of  living  is  lost  to  them.  But  there  are  other 
multitudes  who  have  no  appetite  for  the  great  truths  of 
the  spiritual  realm.  The  old-fashioned  Book  which  is 
meat  and  drink  to  God's  children  has  no  attraction  for 
them.  The  hymns  of  the  sanctuary,  "  Jesus,  Lover  of  my 
soul,"  "  Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee,"  ''  O  mother  dear, 
Jerusalem,"  have  no  melody  for  them.  They  care  not 
for  the  hopes  and  aspirations  which  are  dear  to  the 
Christian  as  the  throbbing  of  his  heart.  Desire  has  failed. 
Who  shall  quicken  it  ?  God  alone.  Out  in  the  wilder- 
ness, hunted  like  a  partridge  among  the  mountains,  David 
was  moved  with  longing  for  the  blessed  things  of  the  king- 
dom. He  saw  a  wounded  deer  bounding  through  the 
forest,  an  arrow  quivering  in  its  flank,  its  eyes  hot  with 
fever,  hastening  towards  the  fountain.  "  As  the  hart  pant- 
eth  after  the  water-brooks,"  cried  the  Psalmist,  "so  pant- 
eth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God  !  My  soul  thirsteth  for 
God,  for  the  living  God :  when  shall  I  come  and  appear 
before  God  ?"  Thus  are  the  deep  longings  of  the  soul 
quickened  in  divine  communion.  Alas !  for  those  who 
have  no  hunger  for  the  living  bread !  Alas !  for  those 
who  thirst  not  for  water  out  of  the  deep  wells  of  salva- 


THE    RESURRECTION    HERE   AND   NOW.         20$ 

tion !  There  is  no  sweeter  beatitude  than  this,  "  Blessed 
are  they  who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness,  for 
they  shall  be  filled."  They  shall  be  satisfied  with  grapes 
and  pomegranates  from  the  King's  garden.  They  shall 
quench  their  longing  with  water  out  of  the  King's 
well. 

4.  In  this  spiritual  resurrection  the  co?iscience  is  vivi- 
fied.    It  was  God's  purpose  that  our  consciences  should 

point  us  along  the  way  to  the  endless  life,  but  by  persist- 
ence in  sin  they  are  seared  as  with  a  hot  iron.  They  refuse 
to  perform  their  functions.  The  needle  in  the  compass  is 
rusted  fast.  The  man  congratulates  himself  that  he  can 
sin  without  scruple ;  he  can  go  on  in  an  evil  course  with- 
out compunction.  This  means  that  his  moral  sense  is 
struck  with  death.  In  its  awaking — for  it  must  awake 
sooner  or  later — are  the  possibilities  of  eternal  pain  or 
rapture.  The  Emperor  Constance  with  an  untrembling 
hand  put  his  brother  Theodosius  to  death,  but  in  his 
exile  the  wraith  followed  him  wherever  he  went,  holding 
up  to  him  a  cup  of  red  warm  blood,  saying,  '*  Drink,  bro- 
ther, drink  !"  Alas !  for  him  whose  conscience  awakes 
thus  under  the  awful  touch  of  remorse ;  but  blessed  is  the 
man  whose  conscience  springs  to  life  at  the  word  of  Jesus. 
A  quick  conscience  is  a  finger-board  pointing  to  heaven's 
gate. 

5.  The  will  is  energized  at  the  life-giving  word  of 
Jesus.  The  will  is  the  centre  of  our  moral  nature.  It  is 
pargilyzed  by  sin.  The  good  that  I  would,  I  do  not ;  and 
the  evil  that  I  would  not,  that  I  do.  The  beginning  of 
spiritual  life  is  when  the  will  is  moved  towards  truth  and 
goodness.  Out  in  the  far  country  the  prodigal  in  the 
swine  field,  ragged  and  famishing,  saw  visions  of  plenty 
in  his  father's  house,  and  he  said,  "  I  will  arise  and  go." 


2o6  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

That  was  the  beginning  of  Hfe.  The  moment  of  conver- 
sion is  when  the  soul,  in  answer  to  the  divine  summons, 
responds,  "  I  will."  Then  begins  the  endless  struggle,  the 
beating  down  of  old  sins  and  passions  and  appetites. 
Then  begins  the  work  of  the  kingdom ;  for  whereas  the 
man  who  is  spiritually  dead  has  no  concern  for  the  build- 
ing up  of  truth  and  righteousness  on  earth,  the  quickened 
soul  is  eager  to  answer  the  Lord's  injunction,  "  Go,  work 
in  my  vineyard."  Thenceforth  his  highest  aspiration  is 
to  make  life  tell,  not  for  self- advancement,  but  for  the 
glory  of  God. 

An  old-time  Quaker  preacher  had  a  strange  expe- 
rience at  his  conversion.  He  fell  asleep  and  dreamed. 
He  seemed  to  be  dead,  and  laid  out  for  his  burial,  when  a 
shining  one  came  and  bent  over  him,  saying  softly,  "  The 
man  is  dead."  Then  another  came  and  laid  a  hand  over 
his  heart,  and  said,  "It  does  not  throb;  he's  dead." 
Then  another  came  and  laid  a  hand  upon  his  flesh,  say- 
ing, **  It  is  cold;  he  is  surely  dead."  So  one  by  one 
came  angels  and  stood  around  his  couch,  till  one  kindlier 
than  all  the  rest  came  and  looked  upon  him,  lifted  his 
hand,  and  said,  "  Nay,  what  is  this?  A  nail  print  in  his 
palm,  and  a  nail  print  in  his  other  palm.  This  man  is  not 
dead  ;  he  has  been  crucified  !  He  has  been  crucified  with 
Christ  and  lives  with  him !"  Then  the  man  awoke  and 
found  the  place  in  the  Scripture  where  it  is  written,  "  I  am 
crucified  with  Christ :  nevertheless  I  live ;  yet  not  I,  Christ 
liveth  in  me."  The  secret  of  spiritual  life  is  indeed  to  enter 
into  fellowship  with  the  death  of  Jesus.  We  begin  to  live 
when  we  stand  under  his  cross  and  feel  one  drop  of  his 
warm  blood  falling  upon  us.  "  The  life  is  in  the  blood." 
The  life  of  every  son  of  man  is  in  the  blood  of  the  only- 
begotten  Son  of  God.    To  believe  in  him  is  to  come  forth 


THE   RESURRECTION  HERE   AND    NOW.  207 

out  of  the  sepulchre  into  the  world  of  beauty  and  glad- 
ness. Oh  that  we  might  all  know  the  power  of  his  death, 
that  we  might  also  be  partakers  of  the  power  of  his  life ! 
'Oh  that  we  all  might  be  able  to  say  in  truth  and  sincerity, 
"  I  am  crucified  with  Christ :  nevertheless  I  Hve  ;  yet  not 
I,  Christ  Hveth  in  me  !" 


208  THE    RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 


SIMON  OF  CYRENE 


"  And  after  that  they  had  mocked  him,  they  took  the  robe  off  from 
him,  and  put  his  own  raiment  on  him,  and  led  him  away  to 
crucify  him.  And  as  they  came  out,  they  found  a  man  of 
Cyrene,  Simon  by  name:  him  they  compelled  to  bear  the 
cross."     Matt.  27:31,  32. 

"And  they  compel  one  Simon,  a  Cyrenian,  who  passed  by,  coming 
out  of  the  country,  the  father  of  Alexander  and  Rufus,  to  bear 
his  cross."     Mark  15:21. 

"Salute  Rufus,  chosen  in  the  Lord,  and  his  mother  and  mine." 
Rom.  16:  i3.-'- 

It  was  the  time  of  the  Passover.  The  city  was  crowded 
with  strangers  who  had  come  up  from  every  part  of  Jewry 
to  celebrate  the  feast.  The  homes  of  Jerusalem  were 
thrown  open.  The  hillsides  round  about  were  dotted  with 
tents  and  leafy  booths.  The  neighboring  villages  were 
crowded  with  pilgrims,  who  every  morning  betook  them- 
selves to  the  city  that  they  might  join  in  the  temple  ser- 
vice. 

A  Jew  from  Cyrene,  in  Northern  Africa,  was  thus  so- 
journing in  one  of  the  suburban  hamlets.  He  had  heard 
much  of  the  Nazarene  prophet,  and,  being  a  man  of  frank 
and  open  nature,  he  was  in  a  position  to  discuss  without 
prejudice  the  claim  that  He  was  the  long-looked-for  Mes- 
siah. On  the  successive  days  of  this  festival  he  had  taken 
occasion  to  hear  the  Nazarene,  and  was  struck  with  his 
bold  and  clear  expositions   of  spiritual  truth.     He  had 

*  These  passages  contain  all  that  is  definitely  known  of  Simon  of 
Cyrene.  There  are  traditions,  more  or  less  trustworthy,  which  ena- 
ble us,  with  some  use  of  the  imagination,  to  complete  the  storv  of  his 
life. 


SIMON   OF   GYRENE.  209 

been  present  in  the  temple  on  Tuesday  of  this  Passover- 
week  when  Jesus  had  driven  out  the  money-changers, 
and  had  witnessed  the  heahng  of  the  sick  and  the  open- 
ing of  blind  eyes.  He  had  discussed  these  things  with 
his  fellow-countrymen  in  the  synagogue  of  the  Cyreni- 
ans,  which  was  their  resort  during  the  feast.  So  ear- 
nestly had  he  insisted  upon  a  fair  discussion  of  the  claims 
of  Jesus  that  he  was  known  among  them  as  a  friend  of 
the  Nazarene.  This  was  by  no  means  true.  He  was, 
however,  earnestly  debating  in  his  own  mind  whether 
this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  not  proving  himself  to  be  the 
expected  Christ. 

This  was  the  state  of  affairs  when,  on  the  morning  of 
April  7th,  he  set  out  from  the  village  to  go  to  Jerusalem. 
The  night  before,  he  had  read,  according  to  the  custom, 
the  story  of  the  original  Passover,  and  he  had  lain  awake 
meditating  on  the  events  of  that  dreadful  night.  As  in  a 
dream  he  saw  his  fathers  standing  with  the  loins  girt  and 
staff  in  hand.  He  saw  the  sacrifice  in  every  home,  the 
blood  upon  the  lintels  of  the  doors.  He  heard  the  cry  of 
sorrow,  when  all  Egypt  bewailed  the  firstborn.  And  then 
he  saw  the  pilgrims  go  forth  out  of  bondage,  with  faces  set 
towards  the  promised  land.  It  seemed  to  him  hke  the 
foreshadowing  of  some  greater  deliverance  to  come.  Why 
should  the  sacrifice  be  slain  every  year  ?  Why  should  the 
blood  be  sprinkled,  unless  for  the  setting  forth  of  some 
spiritual  truth  ?  Were  they  right  who  believed  that  all 
this  was  predictive  of  the  coming  One,  in  whom  all  sac- 
rifices were  to  find  their  ultimate  fulfillment  and  by  the 
shedding  of  whose  blood  should  come  the  remission  for 
the  people's  sins  ? 

As  he  pursued  his  way  towards  the  city,  still  engaged 
in   these  reflections,  his   attention    was   arrested   by  the 

Keligion  of  the  Future.      J  A 


2IO  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

sound  as  of  a  turbulent  multitude,  the  trampling  of  many- 
feet,  and  confused  cries.  Now  he  heard  more  clear- 
ly. "Crucify  him!"  they  shouted;  "Away  with  him!" 
"  Away  with  him !"  He  saw  a  great  company  issu- 
ing from  the  city  gate.  In  front  rode  a  centurion,  fol- 
lowed by  a  detachment  of  Roman  guards.  Then  came 
three  malefactors  bearing  crosses,  each  guarded  by  a 
quaternion  of  soldiers.  Two  of  these  prisoners  he  recog- 
nized as  well-known  criminals  who  had  long  been  await- 
ing death  ;  but  the  third  !  Could  this  be  the  Nazarene  ? 
He  was  covered  with  dust  and  stained  with  blood,  hag- 
gard from  a  long  night  of  derision  and  suffering ;  from  his 
neck  hung  a  Htuhim  on  which  was  written,  Jesu  Nazaret, 
rex  JudcBorum.  While  the  Cyrenian  stood  gazing,  this 
prisoner  staggered  and  fell  beneath  his  load.  In  vain  he 
struggled  to  rise.  The  soldiers  in  charge  were  impatient 
to  be  on  their  way. 

At  this  moment  the  eyes  of  someone  who  had  met 
Simon  in  the  synagogue  fell  upon  him,  and  a  cry  was 
raised,  "  A  friend  of  the  Nazarene !  Lay  the  cross  upon 
him !"  The  Romans  were  but  too  willing.  A  dog  of  a 
Jew,  a  foreigner,  and  a  friend  of  the  Nazarene!  Enough. 
They  seized  upon  him.  His  struggles  were  in  vain ;  the 
heavy  beams  were  laid  upon  his  shoulders,  and  forward 
they  pressed.  The  heart  of  Simon  was  filled  with  bitter- 
ness under  this  injustice;  but,  as  they  were  hurried  on 
amid  the  cries  of  the  mob,  he  observed  the  patient  Suf- 
ferer at  his  side,  and  his  spirit  was  calmed  within  him. 
There  was  no  opportunity  for  words  ;  but  he  saw  upon 
the  face  of  the  Nazarene  a  look  of  tender  regard  and 
soHcitude  which  strangely  touched  him.  The  heavy 
burden  now  seemed  light.  Was  he  not  bearing  it  for 
Him? 


SIMON   OF   GYRENE.  211 

It  Struck  him  as  surprising  that,  amid  all  this  multi- 
tude, there  were  none  who  seemed  to  sympathize  with 
Jesus.  Where  were  his  friends  ?  his  disciples  ?  Where 
were  the  Wind  whose  eyes  he  had  opened  ?  By  the  way- 
side, yonder,  as  they  passed,  a  group  of  women,  beating 
on  their  breasts,  gave  way  to  bitter  cries  and  lamenta- 
tions. He  turned,  with  a  look  full  of  prophetic  vision,  and 
said,  "  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  for 
yourselves  and  for  your  children.  The  hour  of  ca- 
lamity Cometh,  when  Jerusalem  shall  go  down  in  fire  and 
blood."  Oh,  had  they  but  known  !  Crosses  were  pres- 
ently to  stand  all  around  this  circle  of  surrounding 
hills ! 

On  went  the  surging  crowd,  breaking  forth  in  shouts 
of  cruel  mockery.  Even  the  malefactors  at  his  side  de- 
rided him,  saying,  "  Thou  the  Christ!  The  Messiah  of 
Israel !"  Simon  held  his  peace.  But  slowly  it  came  to 
him  that  here  might  be  something  more  than  human 
patience.  His  heart  was  filled  with  a  great  sorrow  for 
this  poor  sufferer  left  to  tread  the  wine-press  of  his  shame 
and  anguish  all  alone.  Might  it  be  that,  under  this  guise 
of  humility,  the  promised  One  of  God  was  going  to  his 
sacrifice?  Might  it  be  that  all  the  shadows  of  the  Old 
Economy  were  to  be  fulfilled  on  this  day  of  the  Passover? 
On  they  went ;  along  the  way  which  henceforth  would  be 
known  by  reason  of  this  sad  journey  as  Via  Dolorosa  ; 
on  toward  the  place  of  execution.  They  reached  the 
rounded  knoll,  and  Simon  awoke  from  his  wondering  as 
the  cross  was  lifted  from  his  shoulders  and  placed  upon 
the  earth.  By  order  of  the  centurion  the  prisoner,  unre- 
sisting, lay  down  upon  it.  A  rough  soldier  stood  forth, 
hammer  in  hand ;  another  held  a  nail  above  the  open 
palm ;  at  the  word  the  hammer  fell ;  a  look  of  anguish 


212  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

fell  over  the  face  of  the  Nazarene ;  a  low  cry  escaped  him  : 
"  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do  !" 
The  man  of  Cyrene  in  that  moment  felt  the  conflicting 
torrents  of  doubt  and  conviction  surging  through  his 
brain.  He  could  bear  no  more,  but,  no  one  hindering, 
turned  and  fled — fled  to  a  solitary  place  on  a  neighboring 
hill,  where  he  fell  down  upon  his  face  and  agonized 
in  prayer :  "  Oh,  God  of  my  fathers,  give  me  to  see  the 
truth  !" 

How  long  he  lay  there  he  knew  not,  but  when  he 
arose  darkness  had  enveloped  hirn.  In  the  distance  he 
saw  three  crosses  outlined  against  the  twilight  sky.  He 
turned  and  made  his  way  homeward.  All  that  night  he 
sat  poring  over  a  parchment  scroll.  He  read  again  the 
story  of  the  Passover.  He  searched  out  the  Messianic 
prophecies.  At  length  he  came  to  the  place  where  it 
was  written  :  "  For  he  shall  grow  up  before  him  as  a  ten- 
der plant,  and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  grou?id ;  he  hath  710 
form  nor  comeliness  ;  and  when  we  shall  see  him,  there  is 
no  beauty  that  we  shall  desire  him.  He  is  despised  and 
rejected  of  men  ;  a  man  of  sorrows  aiid  acquahited  with 
grief :  and  we  hid  as  it  were  our  faces froyn  him  ;  he  was 
despised  and  we  esteemed  him  not.  Surely  he  hath  borne 
our  griefs,  a?id  carried  our  sorrows  ;  yet  we  did  esteem 
him  stricken,  smitten  of  God  and  afflicted.  But  he  was 
woimded  for  our  tra^isgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities  ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him. ; 
and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.  All  we  like  sheep  have 
gone  astray  ;  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  ow7i  way  ; 
and  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  21s  all.^^  And 
in  that  moment  it  flashed  upon  him.  The  prophecy  was 
clear  as  day.  The  man  who  had  gone  so  unresistingly  to 
Golgotha  was  the  Passover  Lamb,  of  whom  it  was  writ- 


SIMON   OF   GYRENE.  213 

ten  :  "  He  shall  be  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and  as 
a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  openeth  not  his 
mouth."  This  was  the  voice  of  the  blood  flowing-  over 
the  altars  of  the  olden  time.  This  was  the  voice  of  the 
blood  sprinkled  upon  the  lintels  of  the  doors.  He  fell 
upon  his  knees  in  gratitude,  murmuring,  "Thou  hast  laid 
on  him  the  iniquities  of  us  all." 

*  *  *  *  The  years  passed.  Simon  grew  old  and  died 
in  the  triumphant  hope  of  the  Gospel.  In  his  native  city 
was  a  Christian  church.  His  wife  still  lived  there,  a 
sweet-spirited  woman  whose  heart  was  love  and  whose 
hands  were  ministries  of  mercy.  Of  his  two  sons,  Alex- 
ander had  met  a  martyr's  death,  but  Rufus  was  the 
devoted  pastor  of  the  church.  The  people  of  Cyrene 
were  wont  to  speak  gratefully  of  Simon's  faith  and  cour- 
age and  charity.  His  name  was  held  in  fragrant  remem- 
brance. His  memory  was  a  benediction  upon  all  who 
had  known  him. 

Is  there  anything  for  us  in  the  brief  story  of  this  un- 
eventful life  ? 

I.  There  is  great  virtue  in  walking  with  Jesus,  and  all 
the  more  if  we  walk  with  him  towards  Golgotha.  Com- 
munion is  a  magic  word.  There  never  was  a  voice  like 
that  of  Jesus.  There  never  was  a  touch  like  his.  The 
hem  of  his  garment  has  healing  virtue  in  it.  If  he  talk 
with  us  as  we  journey  our  hearts  burn  within  us ;  but  if 
he  hold  his  peace,  and  utter  not  a  word,  yet  is  there  a 
great  blessing  in  being  with  him.  To  walk  with  Jesus  is 
the  secret  of  a  holy,  happy  life. 

II.  There  is  a  double  virtue  in  suffering  for  him.  As 
the  Cyrenian  bore  that  cross  it  must  have  brought  a 
feeling  of  submission — nay,  we  want  a  stronger  word — of 
joyous  acquiescence  to  reflect  that  it  was  Jesus'  cross  that 


214  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

he  bore.  His  pain  must  have  become  as  sweet  as  pleas- 
ure for  Jesus'  sake.  A  great  multitude  have,  for  their 
loyalty  to  the  gospel  and  to  the  name  of  Jesus,  faced  the 
pointed  finger  and  the  gleaming  sword,  and  these  are 
they  who,  coming  up  out  of  the  great  tribulation,  stand 
nearest  to  the  throne  in  heaven ;  and  they  have  palms  in 
their  hands ;  and  they  sing,  "  Blessing,  and  glory,  and 
wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and  honor,  and  power,  and 
might,  be  unto  our  God  forever  and  ever."  And  for 
their  shame  they  have  a  thousandfold  of  honor,  and  for 
their  suffering  they  are  led  to  living  fountains  of  waters. 
Here  is  a  great  promise :  "  Blessed  are  ye  when  men 
shall  revile  you  and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  man- 
ner of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake  and  the  gos- 
pel, for  great  is  your  reward  in  heaven."  In  heaven? 
Aye,  and  here  as  well. 

III.  But  the  highest  honor  of  all,  the  service  chevron, 
is  in  the  bearing  of  his  cross.  This  is  more  than  mere 
suffering  with  him.  The  cross  of  Jesus  stands  for  a 
work  voluntarily  taken  up  for  the  sake  of  a  sin-stricken 
world.  To  bear  the  cross  is  to  enter  into  fellowship  with 
Christ  in  this  great  work.  To  bear  the  cross  is  to 
help  our  Master  deliver  the  world  from  sin.  Oh  !  there 
is  no  joy  like  that.  Nor  is  there  any  reward  in  heaven 
like  that  which  awaits  the  cross-bearer,  for  "they  that 
be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and 
they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever 
and  ever." 

There  was  another  Simon  who  for  his  devotion  to  the 
great  fundamental  truths  of  the  gospel  was  called  Petros — 
a  rock.  It  is  told  of  him  that,  in  his  later  years,  he  fled 
from  a  persecution  which  had  broken  out  in  the  city  ol 
Rome.     Not  far  beyond  the  walls  he  met  one  coming, 


SIMON  OF  CYRENE.  21 5 

whom  he  recognized,  by  the  signs  of  suffering  still  upon 
him,  as  his  divine  Lord.  "  Master,  whither  goest  thou  ?" 
he  cried.  The  answer  was,  "  I  go  to  Rome  to  be  cruci- 
fied again."  "  Nay,  Lord,"  said  Peter,  "  I  will  return." 
A  church  stands  to-day  on  that  traditional  spot,  called 
Domine,  quo  vadis  f  It  stands  as  a  reproach  to  those 
who  turn  their  backs  on  Christian  service.  It  is  a  true 
saying,  "  The  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord."  "  If 
any  man  will  come  after  me  let  him  deny  himself,  and 
take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  follow  me." 


2l6  THE    RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 


ASSURANCE, 


"  Give  diligence  to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure." 
2  Peter  i:  lo. 

All  the  elaborate  treatises  which  were  ever  written 
on  the  doctrine  of  Election  have  not  served  to  clarify  it. 
It  has  pleased  God  to  reserve  this  as  one  of  his  state 
secrets.  A  stoic  of  the  olden  time  used  to  go  about 
holding  something  in  his  left  hand  covered  with  a  napkin. 
Many  curious  glances  were  cast  upon  it,  and  when  some 
Paul  Pry  was  bold  enough  to  inquire,  "  What  hast  thou  ?" 
the  philosopher  replied,  "  Hence  the  napkin."  So  with 
respect  to  this  divine  mystery.  No  doubt  God  could 
have  made  it  perfectly  clear,  but  for  some  good  reason 
he  has  chosen  otherwise.  To  seek  a  solution  of  the 
difficulty  is  to  have  our  labor  for  our  pains. 

We  know  that  Election  is  a  fact.  "  Whom  he  did 
foreknow,  he  also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed  to  the 
image  of  his  Son ;  and  whom  he  did  predestinate,  them 
he  also  called ;  and  whom  he  called,  them  he  also  justi- 
fied ;  and  whom  he  justified,  them  he  also  glorified."  It 
is  inconceivable  that  God  has  not  always  foreknown  the 
names  of  the  redeemed.  They  are  said  to  be  written  of 
his  Book  of  Life;  but  the  book  is  sealed  v/ith  seven  seals  ^^f-^^ 
and  One  only  has  been  found  worthy  to  open  it.     .  ' 

f^         The  practical  side  of  thfe.^  doctrine};  lies  in  the  fact  m, 
'        personal  assurance.     We  may  know  whether  our  names 
are  written  in  the  Book  of  Life  or  not.     It  is  not  said 
that  all  true  believers  have  this  certainty,  but  only  that 


ASSURANCE.  217 

they  may  have  it.*^  A- mukitwie-e^-as—feeble  ibtk  are 
vexed-^WTtirqtrestkjrrffi'g^ : 

"  'T  is  a  point  I  long  to  l^now, 


/ 


Oft  it  (pauses  anxiouS  thought : 
Do  I  loVe  the  Lord  or  no  ? 


Am  I  his  or  api  I  nbt  ?" 

How  may  we  arrive  at  assurance  ?     By  the  mouth  of      ? 
three  witnesses  it  shall  be  estabUshed.  — 

I.    The  witness  of  the  Spirit.     "  The  Spirit  beareth      J 
witness  with  our  spirits  that  we  are  the  children  of  God : 
and  if  children,  then  heirs :  heirs  of  God,  and  joint- heirs 
with  Christ."^ 

-:' A"witness  in  an  earthly  court  is  not  permitted  to  tes- 
tify as  to  mere  hearsay,  nor  can  he  advance  a  personal 
opinion  ;  he  does  not  guess  or  speculate ;  he  is  not  like  a 
mathematician  who  has  a  matter  in  hand  in  process  of 
solution ;  he  testifies  as  to  facts  alone.  So  here.  The 
Holy  Ghost  appears  as  a  witness,  as  one  who  has  looked 
into  the  Book  of  Life  and  is  prepared  to  say,  Your  name 
is  there. 

cWhy  should  not  the  Spirit  thus  testify  in  the  soul  of 
the  believer  ?  Did  not  Jesus  give  assurance,  again  and 
again,  to  those  who  sought  him  in  spiritual  trouble? 
Did  he  not  say  to  the  paralytic  who  was  let  down  from 
the  house-top  into  the  midst  of  the  company,  "  Be  of 
good  cheer,  thy  sins  be  forgiven  thee  "  ?  Did  he  not  say 
to  the  poor  creature  who,  weary  of  her  sinful  life,  sought 
him  as  he  sat  at  meat  in  the  Pharisee's  house  and 
anointed  his  feet  with  precious  nard,  ''  Daughter,  go  in 
peace;  thy  sins,  which  are  many,  are  forgiven  thee"? 
And  when  the  thief  upon  the  cross,  after  a  life  spent  in 
ill-doing,  besought  him,  "Lord,  remember  me  when  thou 
comest  into  thy  kingdom,"  did  he  not  answer,  "  To-day 


2l8  THE   RELIGION    OF  THE   FUTURE. 

thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  Paradise "  ?  When  Jesus 
ascended  into  the  heavens  he  left  his  work  in  the  hands 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  is  to  carry  it  on  to  its  ultimate 
consummation.  We  may  reasonably  assume,  then,  that 
the  Spirit  also  stands  ready  to  speak  the  blessed  word  of 
t    assurance  to  those  who  are  fit  and  willing  to  receive  it. 

At  the  time  when  Wesley  was  preaching  in  Georgia 
he  was  approached  by  a  Moravian  pastor,  named  Spang- 
enberg,  who  asked  him  if  he  had  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit.  Wesley  was  surprised  and  nonplussed.  "  Do 
you  know,"  asked  Spangenberg,  "  that  Jesus  is  your 
Saviour?"  "Aye,  I  know  that  he  is  the  Saviour  of  the 
world  ;  that  he  tasted  death  for  all."  "  But  do  you  know 
that  he  is  your  Saviour?  that  your  sins  are  washed 
away  ?  that  your  name  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Life  ?" 
"I  hope  so."  "But  do  you  know  so?"  Wesley  was 
troubled.  He  endeavored  to  solve  the  difficulty  in 
prayer.  He  put  away  all  things  that  seemed  to  stand 
between  himself  and  God.  He  listened  until  the  still 
small  voice  came,  and  then  he  wrote : 

"  The  Spirit  answers  to  the  blood, 
And  tells  me  I  am  born  of  God." 

/^H  But  may  there  not  be  some  mistake  as  to  the  voice  ? 
May  we  not  be  deceived  by  our  emotions  ?  Is  there  no 
way  in  which  we  can  verify  the  testimony  of  the  Spirit? 
-^^j^^il.  T/ie  witness  of  the  Word.  As  the  Scriptures  are 
the  court  of  last  appeal  in  all  questions  of  faith  and  con- 
duct, so  are  they  in  respect  to  the  genuineness  of  all 
Christian  experience.  A  peace  which  rests  on  sentiment 
alone  is  of  no  value.  Tears  and  hosannahs  can  scarcely 
bft^  placed  in  evidence.  To  the  law  and  the  testimorty 
therefore.     What  saith  the  Scripture  ? 


ASSURANCE.  219 

If  a  twelve-inch  plank  be  laid  along  the  pavement 
from  one  side  of  the  street  to  the  other  a  child  may  walk 
upon  it  without  a  tremor  and  with  no  fear  of  falling  oif  ; 
but  if  it  be  laid  from  the  top  of  one  high  building  to  an- 
other on  the  opposite  side  there  are  not  many  of  us  who 
would  undertake  to  keep  our  balance  while  walking  over  it. 
There  is  nothing  underneath  it,  and  away  goes  our  confi- 
dence.     So  of  our  Christian  hope ;  it  must  rest  on  some- 
thing that  we  can  see  with  our  eyes  and  handle  with  our 
hands.      We  must  somehow  get  it  on  terra  firma.     And 
the  Scriptures  are  terra  firma  for  us.    In  this  blessed  vol- 
ume there  are  many  touchstones  by  which  we  can  attest 
our  assurance  of  salvation.     Here  is  one  :  He  that  believ- 
eth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life :  and  he  that  believeth 
7iot  the  Son  shall  not  see  life  ;  but  the  wrath  of  God  abid- 
eth  on  him.      Do  we  beheve  on  Jesus  Christ?      Have  v^e 
taken  hold  of  his  atoning  work  with  the  appropriating 
hand  of  faith,  so  that  we  can  say,  My  Lord  and  my  God  ? 
Here  is  another:  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a 
man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 
To  be  born  again  is  to  enter  into  newness  of  life.      Old 
things  have  passed  away ;  behold,  all  things  are  new — new 
hopes,  new  purposes,  new  ambitions  and  aspirations.    We 
live  now  in  a  new  atmosphere  and  can  scarcely  fail  to  per- 
ceive it.     In  the  famous  Tichborne  case,  the  reason  why 
the  claimant  failed  to  get  possession  of  the  great  estate 
was  not  because  of  any  specific  evidence,  but  rather  be- 
cause the  whole  demeanor  of  the  man  showed  that  he  was 
not  of  noble  blood.     Here  is  another  of  the  touchstones : 
Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you. 
And  again  :  Hereby  we  know  that  we  love  him,  if  we  keep 
his  comma7idments.    For  Jesus  is  not  only  our  Saviour,  but 
our  Lord.      To  acknowledge  his  redemptive  grace  and 


220  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE    FUTURE. 

deny  his  sovereignty  is  to  lean  upon  a  broken  reed.  Here 
is  another :  We  know  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto 
life,  beca7ise  we  love  the  brethren.  The  fellowship  of  God's 
people  is  a  spiritual  kinship.  We  have  received  the  Spirit 
of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  "Abba,  Father;"  so  that, 
being  sons  and  daughters  in  his  household,  our  relations 
are  of  the  closest  sort.  ^Mere  is  another  :  If  anymanwiM 
come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  let  him  take  up 
his  cross  and  follow  me.  The  Crusaders  wore  the  red 
cross  on  their  arms ;  but  a  true  believer  wears  it  on  his 
heart  and  bears  it  on  his  shoulders.  He  cheerfully  takes 
part  with  his  divine  Lord  in  the  great  work  of  delivering 
the  world  from  sin.  Here  is  another :  Go,  sell  all  that 
thou  hast,  and  come  and  follow  me.  The  young  ruler  to 
whom  these  words  were  addressed  was  suffering  his  wealth 
to  stand  between  him  and  the  better  life.  A  true  be- 
liever makes  a  surrender  of  all ;  that  is,  he  holds  all  other 
considerations  to  be  secondary  to  the  service  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Here  is  another :  Whosoever  is  born  of  God 
doth  not  commit  sin.  Not  that  the  Christian  is  perfect, 
but  he  .does  not  persist  in  any  evil  habit.  He  may  be 
betrayed  into  wrong-doing,  but  no  sooner  does  he  know 
his  error  than  he  repents  and  turns  his  back  upon  it.  He 
.,^&€3  not  kcep-~thg-gglden  weclgfg  "hr-bis^nt.  Here  is 
another :  As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they 
are  the  sons  of  God.  To  be  led  by  the  Spirit  is  to  fol- 
low on  in  the  paths  of  holy  character.  For  the  fruit  of 
the  Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,  longsuffering,  gentleness, 
goodness,  faith,  meekness,  and  temperance.  And  here  is 
yet  another  :  Simon,  so7i  of  Jo^ias,  lovest  thou  me  ?  It  is 
a  true  saying,  *'  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law."  A  child 
knows  whether  it  loves  its  mother.  Why  shall  not  a 
Christian  know  if  he  loves  the  Saviour  who  has  redeemed 


ASSURANCE.  221 

him  ?  And  this  is  a  crucial  test :  if  the  beHever  can  say- 
thrice  over,  and  with  all  his  heart,  "  Yea,  Lord,  thou  know-      / 

est  that  I  love  thee,"  all  is  well.  • 

So,  then,  we  need  not  go  on  singing 

"When  I  can  read  my  title  clear 
To  mansions  in  the  skies 
I  '11  bid  farewell  to  every  fear, 
And  wipe  my  weeping  eyes." 

If  I  suspect  the  validity  of  my  title  to  a  piece  of  property 
I  do  not  fret  and  worry  about  it,  but  go  straightway  to  an 
abstract  office  and  say,  "  Look  into  this  matter.  See  if  this 
title  is  clouded.  Find  out  all  hens  and  incumbrances  of 
every  sort.  Look  well  to  the  character  of  every  transfer 
and  conveyance  involved."  And  when  the  title  is  thus  ap- 
proved I  rest  upon  it.  The  blessed  Book  is  our  abstract 
office,  and  its  judgment  is  final.  ^^ 

^jL^But,  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  we  have  still  an-      | 
other  witness.     A  threefold  cord  is  not  easily  broken.  ^^ 

in.  The  wityiess  of  failk^^  For  in  the  last  reduction 
there  is  no  assurance  but  the  assurance  of  faith.  **  Thou 
wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee."  There  are  times  when 
self-examination  is  profitable  ;  but  too  much  self-examina- 
tion is  sure  to  make  us  resdess  and  unbelieving.  Look 
out  and  not  in.  Look  up  and  not  down.  The  secret  of 
a  happy  Chrisdan  life  is  to  trust  God.  , 

Faith  shows  itself  in  two  ways — in  work  and  in  rest.  ^^ 
f  ij  In  work.  Once  having  surrendered  ourselves  to  the  ^ 
Lord  Jesus  we  have  better  business  in  hand  than  intro- 
spection. Go  ye  also  into  the  vineyard  ;  there  is  work  to 
do.  Paul  is  the  apostle  of  assurance.  "  I  know  whom  I 
have  beheved,"  said  he,  "  and  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that 
which   I   have  committed  unto   him."       How   calm   and 


222  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

tranquil  the  spirit  that  could  utter  those  words  on  the 
very  brink  of  death  !  For  he  was  an  old  and  feeble  man, 
a  prisoner  awaiting  the  executioner ;  and  yet,  with  eyes 
that  neither  age  nor  tears  could  dim,  he  saw  through  the 
darkness  a  kingdom,  a  blood-washed  robe  and  a  crown 
of  righteousness.  His  faith  was  like  an  oak,  rooted  more 
deeply  by  the  tempest  that  swept  over  it.  Let  us  ask 
him  the  secret  of  his  faith.  "  Time  was,"  he  answers, 
"  when  my  heart  was  filled  with  the  splendid  hopes  of 
youth.  The  world  was  before  me.  I  sat  at  Gamaliel's 
feet  and  thought  of  wisdom  as  the  chief  thing.  All  the 
future  was  bright  with  promise ;  but  on  that  memorable 
day  when  the  light  from  heaven  shone  upon  me  a  word 
was  spoken  that  transformed  my  life.  '  Who  art  thou  ?' 
'  I  am  Jesus.'  The  world  thenceforth  was  a  new  world 
to  me  and  life  was  new ;  for  me  to  live  was  Christ.  His 
love  constrained  me.  I  determined  I  would  know  nothing 
but  Christ,  and  him  crucified.  I  turned  from  my  pleasures 
and  ambitions,  and  entered  upon  a  service  which  promised 
naught  but  toil  and  self-denial.  My  new  Master  told  me 
at  the  outset  that  a  battle  must  be  fought,  a  race  must  be 
run,  and  I  have  found  it  so.  But  he  said  also,  *  My  grace 
is  sufficient  foj-  thee.'  And  now,  blessed  be  his  name  !  I 
have  fought  #  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I 
have  kept  the  faith,  and  I  am  waiting  for  a  crown  which 
the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me.  The  con- 
fused noises  of  battle  will  soon  be  over.  I  bear  in  my 
body  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  I  am  old  and  weary 
and  wounded,  but  victorious  !  It  will  be  joy  unspeakable 
to  hear  him  say,  '  Well  done,  good  servant.'  Am  I  not 
afraid  ?  Nay,  I  am  ready  to  be  offered.  Do  I  not  fear 
the  darkness  after  death  ?  It  is  bright  with  stars  of  prom- 
ise.     And  how  have  I  attained  unto  this  assurance?      By 


ASSURANCE. 


223 


leaning  on  the  Beloved.  His  word  has  been  true  and 
faithful.  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  that  he  is 
able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him."  "  ^ 
^2^  Faith  also  expresses  itself  in  rest.  If  we  appre-  ' 
hend  Christ  we  shall  not  distrust  him.  If  we  have  really 
given  ourselves  to  him  we  shall  without  misgiving  trust 
our  destiny  in  his  hands.  Let  us  cease  fretting  and  wor- 
rying.    Salvation  is  of  the  Lord. 

I^ave  a  friend  who,  last  summer,  at  the  seashore,  made 
a  vainbQort  to  save  a  drowning  woman.  He  struck  out 
after  her  bbyond  the  white  hne  of  surf,  and  being  a  brave 
swimmer  he  re'Sched  her.  She  frantically  threw  her  arms 
about  his  neck.  He  tore  them  off.  She  clutched  his 
hair.  He  broke  loose,  an4  was  obliged  to  leave  her  to  her 
fate.  "  I  could  have  saved  her,  but  she  struggled  so." 
We  are  in  the  hands  of  the  mighty  One.  All  that  we  can 
do  towards  our  own  deliverance  is\p  rest  in  his  hands. 
No  soul  was  ever  lost  that  trusted  in  ftim. 
—  -Christian,  who  set  out  from  the  city  of  Destruction, 
came  at  last  through  all  his  difficulties  to  the  house  Beau- 
tiful, and  there  he  was  assigned  to  a  chamber  called 
Peace.  In  the  morning  early  he  awoke  and  looked  out 
upon  the  Delectable  Mountains.      And  then  he  sang : 

"  Where  am  I  now  ?     Is  this  the  love  and  care 
Of  Jesus  for  the  men  who  pilgrims  are  : 
Thus  to  provide  that  I  should  be  forgiven, 
And  dwell  already  the  next  door  to  heaven  !"  J 

God  has  a  place  for  us  all  in  the  chamber  called  Peace. 
"  Peace  I  leave  with  you.  My  peace  I  give  unto  you. 
Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid.' 


224  THE  RELIGION   OF  THE  FUTURE. 

WOE  TO  ARIEL. 


"  Woe  to  Ariel,  to  Ariel,  the  city  where  David  dwelt !  Add  ye  year  to 
year ;  let  them  kill  sacrifices ;  yet  I  will  distress  Ariel,  and 
there  shall  be  heaviness  and  sorrow  :  and  it  shall  be  unto  me 
as  Ariel.  And  I  will  camp  against  thee  roundabout,  and  will  lay 
siege  against  thee  with  a  mount,  and  I  will  raise  forts  against 
thee.  And  thou  shalt  be  brought  down,  and  shalt  speak  out  of 
the  ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  be  low  out  of  the  dust,  and  thy 
voice  shall  be,  as  of  one  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit,  out  of  the 
ground,  and  thy  speech  shall  whisper  out  of  the  dust."  Isaiah 
29:1-4. 

This  meant  that  Jerusalem  was  to  be  overthrown. 
How  improbable  it  seemed !  The  city  was  at  the  very 
summit  of  its  prosperity.  Let  the  years  pass  until  the 
fulness  of  time ;  let  the  sheep  and  bullocks  compass  the 
altar;  when  the  shrill  blast  of  the  angel  of  retribution  is 
heard  Jerusalem  shall  be  brought  low ;  the  owl  and  the 
bittern  shall  make  their  home  in  her  palaces ;  out  of  the 
silence  and  desolation  let  Ariel  speak  to  the  coming  ages. 

The  year  70  of  the  Christian  Era  will  be  memorable 
until  the  end  of  time,  for  then  Jerusalem  was  overthrown. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  year,  when  the  Romans  laid  siege 
to  the  city,  its  people  were  engaged  in  civil  strife.  John, 
with  a  garrison  six  thousand  strong,  held  the  porticos  of 
the  outer  court;  Simon,  with  ten  thousand  Jews  and  five 
thousand  Idumaeans,  was  entrenched  on  the  heights  of 
Zion ;  Eleazar,  with  an  army  of  zealots,  had  possessed 
himself  of  the  temple.  The  arrows  from  the  enemy's 
camp  came  whizzing  through  the  air  and  quivered  in  the 
cedar  posts;  the  stones  from  their  catapults  fell  at  the 
feet  of  the  worshippers  at  the  altar ;  the  space  around  the 
temple  was  in  ruins.     It  was  at  this  time  that  the  weird 


WOE   TO   ARIEL.  225 

prophet  spoken  of  in  the  chronicles  of  Josephus  went  up 
and  down  crying,  "A  voice  from  the  east ;  a  voice  from 
the  west ;  a  voice  from  the  four  winds  of  heaven  against 
Jerusalem  and  her  people  who  have  sinned  against  God." 
On  April  14th  the  blast  of  the  Roman  trumpets  was 
heard  in  the  distance.  Titus  had  come  with  his  Tenth 
Legion  and  a  great  body  of  mercenaries.  They  wound 
down  through  the  mountains  and  around  the  city,  enfold- 
ing it  as  with  the  coils  of  a  mighty  serpent.  Then  began 
in  earnest  that  famous  siege  which  has  scarcely  a  par- 
allel in  history.  John,  Simon  and  Eleazar,  perceiving 
the  need  of  harmony  at  this  juncture,  joined  forces  and 
made  a  furious  attack  on  the  Tenth  Legion.  It  was  by 
the  ford  of  the  Kedron,  in  sight  of  Olivet  where  Jesus  forty 
years  before  wept  and  cried,  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 
how  often  would  I  have  gathered  you,  as  a  hen  doth 
gather  her  brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not !" 
In  this  battle  the  Jewish  forces  were  defeated  and  driven 
back  with  dreadful  loss.  Such  of  their  number  as  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Romans  were  treated  with  the  utmost 
cruelty.  The  morning  after  the  battle  five  hundred  crosses 
were  reared  upon  the  mountains  round  about  and  five 
hundred  Jewish  captives  were  seen  writhing  in  agony. 
As  the  weary  weeks  passed  on,  two  ghostly  figures  made 
their  appearance :  Famine,  gaunt  and  pitiless.  Parents 
and  children  struggled  for  food  ;  they  stole  down  at  night 
to  gather  offal  from  the  ravines  of  Hinnom ;  fought  for 
the  reptiles  that  crawled  out  from  beneath  the  walls. 
The  soldiers  gnawed  their  belts  and  sandals.  A  m.ob 
broke  into  the  sanctuary  and  seized  upon  the  show-bread 
and  the  sacred  wine.  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Eleazar, 
slew  her  babe  for  food.  Then  Pestilence:  the  dead 
lay  unburied  in  the  streets  ;  the  plague-stricken  crawled 

Religion  of  the  Future.  I  ^ 


226  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

into  the  cemeteries  to  die;  now  and  then  the  famish- 
ing soldiers  in  desperation  salHed  forth  with  the  cry, 
"  The  sword  of  the  Lord,  and  of  Gideon  !"  only  to  be 
driven  back  within  the  walls. 

On  July  17th  the  Roman  army  made  a  concerted 
assault  on  the  city.  The  gates  were  forced  and  the  gar- 
rison was  driven  back  to  the  fortress  of  Antonia.  Here 
the  conduits  for  conveying  the  blood  of  the  sacrifices 
were  soon  filled  with  the  dead.  By  this  ghastly  barricade 
stood  the  Jews,  gaunt,  heroic,  desperate,  defending  their 
Zion.  At  length  they  were  forced  into  the  temple  and 
then  the  temple  was  taken.  The  dead  lay  heaped  around 
the  altar.  Amid  cries  of  "  Raze  it !  Raze  it  to  the 
earth  !"  orders  were  given  that  the  beautiful  structure 
should  be  spared.  Too  late.  A  burning  brand  was 
thrown  through  the  window  and  the  temple  was  envel- 
oped in  flames.  It  was  at  this  moment,  according  to  a  rab- 
binical tradition,  that  God,  departing  from  his  sanctuary, 
turned  back  and  kissed  its  pillars,  moaning,  "Alas !  for 
my  glory,"  and  in  vain  did  the  angels  try  to  console  him. 
One  after  another  the  great  buildings  fell  into  the  abyss 
of  flame.  The  mountains  round  about  echoed  back  the 
shrieks  of  the  wounded  and  the  dying.  The  golden 
eagles  gleamed  in  the  light  of  the  conflagration  and  the 
standards  of  Rome  were  lifted  where  the  Lion  of  the  tribe 
of  Judah  had  marshalled  the  hosts  of  God. 

All  was  over.  It  is  recorded  that  eleven  hundred 
thousand  had  perished  in  the  calamities  of  this  siege. 
Ninety-seven  thousand  were  carried  away  into  slavery. 
The  plow  was  drawn  over  the  site  of  Jerusalem ;  Mount 
Zion  was  sown  with  salt ;  the  treasures  of  the  magnificent 
city  were  carried  to  distant  lands.  On  the  arch  of  Titus, 
reared  in  commemoration  of  this   Roman  victory,  may 


WOE   TO   ARIEL.  22/ 

Still  be  seen  the  long  procession  of  prisoners  going  into 
exile.  Here  are  the  sick  and  aged  ;  mothers  with  infants 
tugging  at  their  skirts ;  wounded  soldiers  tearing  at  their 
bands;  priests  and  rabbis,  with  their  faces  fallen  upon 
their  breasts,  and  borne  before  them,  by  their  captors,  the 
seven-branched  candle-stick,  the  censers,  and  the  silver 
trumpets.  As  we  stand  by  this  ancient  arch  we  can  al- 
most hear  the  words  of  Jeremiah,  as  he  wrung  his  hands 
and  lamented,  '*  Oh  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine 
eyes  a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and  night 
for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of  my  people  !"  And  sadder 
still  the  words  of  the  Master  as,  lifting  up  his  eyes,  he 
beheld  the  temple  and  cried,  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 
how  often  would  I  have  gathered  you,  as  a  hen  doth 
gather  her  brood  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not. 
Behold,  your  house  is  left  desolate  !" 

What  says  Jerusalem  from  the  dust  to  us  ? 

I.  Here  is  a  vijidication  of  God's  truth.  All  these, 
calamities  had  been  prophesied  with  the  utmost  particu- 
larity. A  nation  of  fierce  countenance,  swift  as  the  eagle 
flieth,  was  to  come  from  the  north ;  the  city  was  to  be 
compassed  about;  trenches  were  to  be  digged;  sword, 
famine,  and  pestilence  were  to  let  loose  their  horrors ;  the 
dead  were  to  lie  unburied  in  the  streets ;  the  city  was  to 
be  overthrown;  the  temple  destroyed;  not  one  stone 
should  be  left  upon  another;  its  altars  were  to  be  torn 
down ;  the  bones  of  its  prophets  were  to  be  scattered  ;  its 
inhabitants  were  to  be  led  captive  ;  its  ruins  were  to  be 
sown  with  salt.  All  these  prophecies  were  fulfilled. 
God's  word  is  "  yea  "  and  "  amen." 

II,  Here  is  a  vindication  of  God^s  justice.  Be  not  de- 
ceived, God  is  not  mocked  ;  whatsoever  a  man  soweth — 
aye,  or  a  nation— that  shall  he  also  reap. 


228  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

On  the  day  when  Pilate  brought  forth  Jesus  unto  the 
priests  and  people,  saying,  "  I  find  no  fault  in  him  at  all," 
when  he  washed  his  hands  in  token  of  his  innocency,  they 
all  cried  with  one  accord,  **  His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on 
our  children." 

1.  The  Jews  have  been  more  widely  scattered  than 
any  nation  on  earth.  The  Diaspora  is  a  proverb.  The 
wandering  Jew  burdened  with  his  years  and  longing  for 
release,  yet  finding  no  rest  for  the  sole  of  his  foot,  is  the 
central  figure  of  a  great  historic  parable.  The  Jew  is  the 
universal  exile  He  is  to  be  found  in  every  great  metro- 
politan centre  from  the  river  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

2.  And  wherever  the  Jews  go  they  are  a  stigmatized 
race.  The  very  name  is  a  hissing  and  a  by-word.  The 
grandest  nation  in  all  history  as  to  wealth  and  intellect, 
with  a  genealogy  reaching  back  to  the  infancy  of  time, 
yet  with  every  man's  hand  against  it.  The  sins  of  this 
people  have  found  them  out.  In  the  fourth  century  they 
were  expelled  from  Europe  with  their  ears  cut  off.  In  the 
tenth  century  the  Caliphs  caused  them  to  be  branded  on 
the  face  and  driven  away  to  Arabian  deserts.  They  have 
suffered  countless  and  unspeakable  spoliations,  persecu- 
tions, and  massacres.  Sir  Walter  Scott  says,  "  Except  the 
flying-fish,  no  race  on  earth,  in  air  or  in  water,  has  been 
so  persecuted."  At  one  time,  in  the  city  of  York,  fifteen 
hundred  Jews  were  shut  up  in  the  castle  and  refused  all 
quarter.  Frantic  with  despair  they  perished  by  a  mutual 
slaughter.  Husbands  murdered  their  wives,  mothers  their 
children.  Did  not  their  death- cries  seem  to  echo  those 
words,  "  His  blood  be  on  us,  and  on  our  children  after 
us  "? 

3.  But  the  worst  calamity  that  has  fallen  upon  Israel 
has  been  judicial  blindness.    To-day  every  civilized  nation 


WOE   TO   ARIEL.  229 

has  accepted  Jesus.  The  Jews  alone  reject  him.  Was  it 
not  written,  **  The  Lord  shall  smite  thee  with  blindness 
and  astonishment,  and  thou  shalt  grope  at  noon-day  as 
the  blind  gropeth  in  darkness  "  ?  I  was  once  greatly  per- 
plexed by  a  service  which  I  attended  in  the  great  syna- 
gogue at  Rotterdam.  The  place  was  thronged  with  wor- 
shippers. The  lights  were  unkindled,  except  a  candle  here 
and  there,  just  enough  to  make  the  darkness  visible.  The 
high  priest  chanted  the  service  in  a  melancholy  voice.  I 
felt  as  if  in  a  mummy  crypt.  What  could  this  mean  ?  All 
at  once  the  character  of  the  service  changed.  The  lights 
in  the  great  chandeliers  were  kindled;  the  worshippers 
produced  tapers,  lighted  them,  and  held  them  aloft;  the 
priest  had  risen  and  was  reciting  in  a  gladsome  voice,  the 
men  responding,  "  Hosannah  !  hosannah  !"  On  inquiry  I 
learned  afterwards  that  this  service  was  commemorative 
of  the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem  and  the  captivity  of  its 
people.  And  the  kindling  of  the  lights  meant  that  Mes- 
siah was  to  come.  Oh,  when  will  the  hoodwink  be  taken 
from  Israel's  eyes  ?  When  shall  they  see  that  Jesus  is 
the  Christ  ? 

III.  We  note  here  also  a  vindication  of  the  divine 
mercy.  When  Moses  desired  to  behold  the  divine  glory 
the  answer  was, "  I  will  make  my  goodness  to  pass  before 
thee ;  I  will  proclaim  the  name  of  Jehovah  before  thee ; 
I  will  be  gracious  to  whom  I  will  be  gracious ;  and  I 
will  show  mercy  on  whom  I  will  show  mercy."  The 
subsequent  history  of  Israel  was  a  continual  display  of 
God's  lovingkindness.  "  He  hath  not  dealt  so  with  any 
people." 

Observe  (i)  how  faithfully  he  admonished  them :  as  it 
is  written,  "  He  rose  up  early  "  to  warn  them  of  the  com- 
ing danger.     He  sent  his  prophets  to  cry,  "  Why  will  ye 


230  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

be  stricken  any  more  ?    Cease  to  do  evil,  learn  to  do  well. 
Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  for  why  will  ye  die  ?" 

Observe  (2)  how  wondrously  his  providence  has  been 
round  about  this  nation  since  the  day  of  its  calamity.  It 
was  God's  purpose  from  the  beginning  that  Israel  should 
remain  a  peculiar  people.  All  the  migrations  that  have 
gone  out  successively  from  the  older  countries  have  min- 
gled their  blood  with  other  nations,  and  so  lost  their  iden- 
tity. The  Jews  alone,  wandering  hither  and  yon  for 
nearly  two  thousand  years,  have  preserved  their  distinct- 
ive character — their  cast  of  countenance,  their  hurried 
gait,  their  commercial  instincts,  their  habits  of  life.  They 
have  been  in  history  like  the  Gulf  Stream,  that,  rising  in 
the  Southern  Atlantic,  courses  northward  until  it  empties 
into  the  Arctic  seas,  all  the  way  flowing  between  banks  of 
cold  water,  yet  keeping  itself  apart,  a  volume  a  thousand 
times  larger  than  the  Amazon  and  of  swiftest  current, 
bearing  with  it  the  genial  influence  of  the  South  to  tem- 
per the  climates  of  Western  Europe,  so  that  Ireland, 
though  in  the  same  latitude  as  Labrador,  is  a  very  garden 
of  bloom  and  verdure.  Thus  God  has  kept  the  Jewish 
nation  through  the  centuries  a  distinct  people,  loyal  to  its 
monotheistic  traditions,  inadvertently  preparing  the  way 
for  the  gospel  by  teaching  the  worship  of  the  one  true 
God. 

Observe  (3)  the  unfulfilled  prophecies  respecting  the 
restoration  of  Israel.  There  is  to  be  a  home-bringing. 
A  literal  restoration  ?  The  estate  of  Sir  Moses  Montefi- 
ore  owns  two-thirds  of  Palestine.  It  is  scarcely  to  be 
supposed,  however,  that  the  scattered  multitudes  of  Israel 
are  to  be  brought  back  again  to  that  little  country  by  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  There  is,  however,  to  be  a  spiritual 
restoration.      Their   eyes   are   to    behold  the    Messiah. 


WOE   TO   ARIEL.  23 1 

Those  who  cried,  "  Crucify  him  !  crucify  him  !"  shall  yet 
greet  him  with  acclamations,  "  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  !"  Then  shall  be  brought  to  pass 
the  saying  that  is  written,  "  Thou  shalt  no  more  be  termed 
Forsaken,  nor  thy  land  Desolate,  but  thou  shalt  be  called 
Hephzibah,  (that  is,  my  Delight,)  and  thy  land  shall  be 
called  Beulah,  for  the  Lord  delighteth  in  thee." 

The  practical  lessons  for  us  are  (i)  God  is  true.  "  If 
ye  seek  me  I  will  be  found  of  you ;  but  if  ye  forsake  me  I 
will  cast  you  off."  In  saying  these  things  the  Lord  is  not 
making  a  mere  play  on  words ;  he  means  them.  (2)  God 
is  just.  We  are  the  children  of  peculiar  privilege.  We 
learned  the  gospel  long  ago  at  our  mothers'  knees.  We 
heard  it  from  the  lips  of  the  village  preacher.  We  have 
lived  in  its  atmosphere  through  all  our  years.  Alas  !  it  is 
a  true  saying,  "Anear  the  kirk,  afar  frae  God."  We  have 
received  much,  and  much  shall  be  required  of  us.  "  O 
foolish  Galatians,  who  hath  bewitched  you,  that  ye  should 
not  obey  the  truth,  before  whose  eyes  Jesus  Christ  hath 
been  evidently  set  forth,  crucified  among  you  ?"  (3)  God 
is  merciful.  His  hands  are  stretched  out  still.  Out  of 
the  story  of  Israel  comes  the  far-away  voice  of  the  Mas- 
ter, "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  you,  as  a  hen  doth  gather  her  brood,  and  ye 
would  not !"  And  all  along  the  story  of  Jewish  history 
the  prophet  seems  saying,  "  Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he 
may  be  found,  call  ye  upon  him  while  he  is  near.  Let  the 
wicked  forsake  his  way  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughts :  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will 
have  mercy  upon  him ;  and  unto  our  God,  for  he  will 
abundantly  pardon." 


232  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE  FUTURE. 

A  TEXT  OF  WONDERS 


"  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock:  if  any  man  hear  my  voice, 
and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him, 
and  he  with  me."     Rev.  3:20. 

In  one  of  Holman  Hunt's  pictures  a  kingly  personage 
is  represented  as  standing  with  lamp  in  hand,  under  a 
midnight  sky,  at  the  gate  of  a  walled  inclosure.  He  has 
waited  long  and  patiently.  The  gate  is  barred,  and  over 
it  are  grown  wild  vines  and  brambles,  showing  how  reso- 
lutely it  has  been  closed  against  him.  Underneath  the 
picture  are  these  words :  "  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door, 
and  knock  :  if  any  man  hear  my  voice,  and  open  the 
door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup  with  him,  and 
he  with  me." 

Here  is  a  text  of  wonders.  This  is  the  force  of  the 
word  "  behold."  It  calls  our  attention  to  a  series  of  start- 
ling facts. 

First  Wonder :  "  /stand  and  knock."  The  speaker  is 
he  of  whom  it  was  recorded  in  prophecy,  "  his  name 
shall  be  called  Wonderful."  He  is  wonderful  in  his  per- 
son; for,  being  very  God  of  very  God,  he  is  also  very 
man  of  very  man.  Wonderful  in  his  character  also  ;  the 
only  being  on  earth  of  whom  it  could  be  said  there  was 
"  no  guile  in  his  heart,  no  guile  on  his  lips."  Wonder- 
ful in  his  life :  his  whole  biography  being  comprehended 
in  those  words,  "  he  went  about  doing  good."  Wonder- 
ful in  his  death ;  for  in  his  death  he  bears  the  sins  of 
many  and  by  his  stripes  we  are  healed.  Wonderful  in  his 
triumph  over  death ;  for  in  his  resurrection  life  and  im- 


A   TEXT   OF  WONDERS.  233 

mortality  are  brought  to  light.  And  most  wonderful  of 
all  has  been  his  life  after  death.  In  Dora's  picture  of 
Christ  leaving  the  Praetorium  you  have  observed  how  he 
walks  alone.  His  face  is  marked  with  the  weariness  of  a 
long  night  of  shame  and  scourging,  yet  he  bears  himself 
with  a  divine  dignity,  and  all  stand  back  for  him.  The 
air  is  rent  with  shouts  of  "  Crucify  him  !'"  "Away  with  him  !" 
yet  priests,  rulers  and  enraged  people  all  stand  aside  as 
if  overawed.  So  has  Jesus  come  down  through  the  cen- 
turies. Kings  and  potentates,  great  teachers  and  philoso- 
j)hers,  have  acknowledged  his  solitary  grandeur.  And 
this  is  he,  who,  crowned  with  the  homage  of  friends  and 
foes  alike,  stands  waiting  at  our  door. 

Of  ail  the  miracles  of  Jesus  none  is  more  amazing 
than  this  miracle  of  condescension.  We  look  over  the 
portal  and  see  him,  "a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief;"  yet  "  he  hath  upon  his  vesture  and  thigh  a 
name  written,  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords."  His 
hfe  on  earth  begins  with  the  words,  "  there  was  no  room 
for  him  in  the  inn;"  and  the  opening  of  its  last  chapter 
is,  "  they  besought  him  that  he  would  depart  out  of  their 
coasts."  He  was  a  homeless  man.  Out  on  the  hillsides, 
beneath  God's  silent  stars,  he  who  had  not  where  to  lay 
his  head  slept  in  the  cold  dews  of  night.  It  was  little 
wonder  then  that  the  people's  doors  were  closed  against 
him.  They  knew  not  who  he  was.  But  we  have  seen 
him  crowned  with  the  glory  of  all  history.  Alas  !  for  us, 
if  there  is  no  room  for  this  Jesus  in  our  hearts. 

Second  Wonder :  '*  I  stand  at  the  door  " — waiting.  He 
has  waited  long.  He  came  to  us  in  the  bright  days  of 
youth,  when  "  life  went  a-Maying  with  nature,  hope,  and 
poesy."  He  stood  and  called,  '*  Let  me  in !  I  will  be  as 
sunshine  to  thy  pleasures ;  I  will  be  to  thy  soul  as  the 


234  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

dews  of  Hermon !"  The  years  went  by  and  manhood 
came ;  and  still  we  heard  his  pleading  voice,  "  I  have 
waited  long ;  my  locks  are  wet  with  the  dews  of  night ; 
now  let  me  in  and  I  will  sanctify  to  holy  uses  thy  strength 
and  fervor  and  ambition ;  I  will  enable  thee  to  grow  unto 
the  full  stature  of  a  man  ! '  The  years  have  gone  by  and 
the  old-time  whisperings  of  the  Spirit  are  as  a  tale  that  is 
told,  and  the  days  have  come  when  we  say,  "  I  have  no 
pleasure  in  them;"  yet  still  the  Stranger  at  our  door 
waits  and  calls — it  is  the  eleventh  hour ;  the  night  draws 
near — "  Let  me  in,  and  in  my  fellowship  redeem  the  rem- 
nant of  thy  life." 

Yes,  the  pierced  hand  still  knocketh, 

And  beneath  the  crowned  hair 
Beam  the  patient  eyes,  so  tender, 

Of  the  Saviour,  waiting  there  ! 

It  is  a  stony  heart  indeed  that  resists  such  overtures 
of  love.  Stony  ?  Ask  the  stones  on  the  seashore  how 
they  were  worn  and  bruised  and  broken  at  last,  and  they 
will  answer,  "  The  long  wearing  of  the  waters  has  done 
it."  The  heart  that  resists  the  never-ceasing  love  of 
Christ,  his  calls  of  mercy  more  frequent  than  the  follow- 
ing of  wave  on  wave,  is  jusdy  described  as  "  harder  than 
a  stone." 

There  is  surely  some  misunderstanding.  We  cannot 
know  his  errand.  We  think  he  comes  to  judge  or  to 
condemn,  but  "  The  Son  of  man  is  come  not  to  condemn 
the  world,  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be 
saved."  Dr.  Arnot,  on  hearing  that  one  of  his  parish- 
ioners, a  poor  widow,  was  to  be  evicted  for  non-payment 
of  rent,  took  with  him  a  sum  of  money  and  knocked  at 
her  door  at  evening.     He  thought  he  heard  the  shuffling 


A  TEXT  OF  WONDERS.  235 

of  feet  and  the  turning  of  the  window-blind,  but  his  re- 
peated knockings  were  unanswered  and  he  went  his  way. 
The  next  morning  he  called  again.  When  he  told  of  his 
previous  visit  the  poor  widow  cried,  "  Oh,  Dr.  Arnot ! 
was  it  you  ?  I  heard  the  knock,  but  I  thought  it  was  my 
landlord  all  the  while."  Oh!  if  we  knew  what  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  divine  visitor  who  stands  waiting  at  our  door 
we  surely  would  not  exclude  him. 

Third  Wonder:  "I  stand  and  knocks  Why  does  he 
not  break  down  the  barriers  and  force  his  way  ?  It  is  be- 
cause he  respects  the  sanctity  of  our  human  nature.  A 
man's  heart  is  his  castle.  The  reason  and  will  are  two 
mighty  bolts  by  which  it  is  fastened  against  God.  He 
addresses  himself  to  the  reason,  saying,  "  Come,  now, 
and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord ;  though  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool."  But 
even  when  the  upper  bolt  is  drawn  the  lower  bolt  holds 
fast.  We  may  yield  an  intellectual  assent  to  all  the  argu- 
ments and  entreaties  of  his  grace,  but  in  the  last  reduc- 
tion the  will  must  yield  or  Jesus  never  can  come  in. 
There  lies  the  fault.  "  Ye  will  not  come  unto  me,  that 
ye  might  have  life,"     Ye  will  not ! 

A  brave  soldier  was  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  In  con- 
stant apprehension  of  attack,  he  was  ever  on  his  guard. 
His  sword  was  always  half  out  of  its  scabbard.  But  in 
the  siege  of  Frederickshall  death  smote  him  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye.  Yet  not  so  quickly  but  that  his  hand  in- 
stinctively grasped  the  handle  of  his  sword,  so  that  when 
his  henchmen  sprangto  catch  him  the  old  king  was  on 
guard.  So  men  die  spiritually.  Their  will  is  ever  up  in 
arms.  The  heart  inclines,  the  intellect  is  convinced,  but 
the  will  stands  defiant  to  the  last. 


236  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

Fourth  Wonder :  '*  If  any  man  will  open  unto  me." 
Great  words  are  these  which  the  gospel  uses :  "  all," 
"any,"  "every,"  "whoever,"  "whosoever."  In  heaven 
are  all  kinds  and  degrees  of  sinners  saved  by  grace.  Up 
yonder  is  Peter,  who  denied  his  Lord.  Up  yonder  is  the 
Magdalene,  who,  soiled  with  a  wretched  life  of  sin,  heard 
him  say,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest."  Up  yonder  is  the  penitent 
thief,  who  had  time  but  for  a  single  prayer,  "  Lord,  re- 
member me!"  All  forgiven  for  Jesus'  sake;  all  clothed 
in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white.  So,  then,  there  is  hope 
for  every  one. 

A  proclamation  of  amnesty  was  issued  by  George  III. 
during  our  Revolutionary  War,  in  which  all  our  rebel- 
lious fathers  were  offered  a  free  pardon,  except  John 
Hancock  and  a  few  kindred  spirits.  The  bold  signature 
of  John  Hancock  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  had 
ruled  him  out.  But  God's  amnesty  makes  no  exceptions. 
He  is  able  and  willing  to  save  unto  the  uttermost ;  who- 
soever will  may  take  the  water  of  life  freely. 

Fifth  Wonder  :  "/  will  come  i?i  to  himr  He  prom- 
ises to  be  our  guest.  He  will  consent  to  be  entertained 
in  our  sinful  hearts  as  he  was  in  the  guest-chamber  at 
Bethany ;  but,  if  so,  what  a  transformation  there  must  be ! 
What  a  turning  out  of  old  lusts  and  passions  and  darling 
sins,  and  what  a  letting  in  of  peace  and  joy !  I  have  a 
pleasant  recollection  of  an  old  uncle,  who  always  wore  a 
smiling  face  and  whose  coming  to  our  village  home  was 
like  a  benediction  upon  us.  He  had  a  kind  word  for 
every  one,  a  warm  hand -grasp  for  father  and  mother,  a 
merry  word  for  us  children — and  sugar-plums  too.  Dead 
now  these  many  years,  how  sweet  his  memory !  The 
home  was  always  brighter  for  his  coming,  and  when  he 


A   TEXT   OF   WONDERS.  237 

went  his  way  it  was  as  if  some  lights  went  out.  But,  oh! 
what  must  it  be  when  our  elder  Brother  comes  in  to 
dwell  with  us  ! 

Sixth  Wonder:  ''And  I  will  sup  with  him''  The 
feasts  of  Vitellius  have  gone  into  history.  It  was  not  an 
uncommon  thing  for  him  to  spend  upon  a  single  banquet 
the  revenues  of  a  whole  province.  Lampreys  were 
brought  from  distant  seas ;  nightingales'  tongues  and 
peacocks'  brains  and  all  manner  of  delicacies  were  upon 
the  table.  Those  were  illustrious  feasts,  but  nothing  like 
the  feast  which  awaits  those  who  open  their  hearts  to  the 
gracious  Son  of  man.  He  brings  with  him  the  viands  of 
the  banquet :  water  from  the  King's  well,  wine  from  the 
King's  vineyards,  apples  and  pomegranates  from  the 
King's  orchard  ;  the  joy  of  pardon — "  Son,  thy  sins  be 
forgiven  thee ;"  the  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  under- 
standing— "  My  peace  I  give  unto  you :  let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid ;"  the  hope  that 
"  maketh  not  ashamed,"  with  all  the  consolations  of  the 
heavenly  grace ;  but,  best  of  all,  His  own  presence.  Up 
in  the  Highlands,  when  Queen  Victoria  was  travelling 
incognito  she  came,  with  a  few  attendants,  to  a  Scottish 
home  where  she  asked  for  entertainment.  The  old  Scotch 
mother  received  her  quietly,  dusted  a  stool  with  her 
apron,  and  provided  such  humble  fare  as  chanced  to  be 
at  hand.  She  showed  so  httle  care  or  worry  that  they 
felt  sure  she  did  not  know  her  royal  guest.  But  when 
the  meal  was  over  and  they  were  going,  she  set  the  stool 
aside  and  said  with  a  courtesy,  "  Your  Majesty,  no  other 
shall  ever  sit  there."  If  such  honor  and  joy  were  hers, 
what  happiness  must  linger  in  the  heart  that  has  enter- 
tained the  Christ ! 

Seventh   Wonder,  and  greatest  of  all :  ''If  any  man 


m: 


!^ 


238  THE    RELIGION    OF  THE   FUTURE. 

Open  unto  me."  If!  In  this  doubt  are  involved  the 
issues  of  Hfe  and  death.  Is  it  not  strange  that  men  should 
be  so  blind  to  their  eternal  weal  ?  A  little  girl  holding 
her  father's  hand  stood  before  Holman  Hunt's  picture  of 
"  The  Waiting  Christ."  The  look  of  grief,  of  ill-requited 
kindness,  on  the  stranger's  worn  face  touched  her  to  the 
quick.  She  looked  long  and  earnestly ;  her  eyes  filled 
slowly  with  tears  ;  *'  Papa,"  said  she,  "  did  he  get  in  ?" 

Here  are  two  wonders  :  the  waiting  Christ  and  the  soul 
refusing  to  receive  him.  He  speaks  to  us  again  to-day. 
Open  unto  him.  Let  the  years  of  thoughtless  rejection 
and  ingratitude  suffice.  Why  should  we  longer  reject 
him  ?  Let  us  open  unto  him  to-day.  To  admit  him  to 
our  hearts  means  to  give  up  living  for  self,  and  forthwith 
to  live  for  others  and  for  God.  It  means  to  give  up  living 
for  this  world  and  to  have  our  "conversation  in  heaven. 
It  means  to  lose  our  "  certain  looking  for  of  judgment," 
and  have  instead  a  great  peace  in  the  soul.  It  means  to 
lose  such  pleasures  as  have  in  them  the  bitterness  of  sin, 
and  gain  holier  pleasures  which  are  eternal. 

"  Though  some  good  things  of  lower  worth 

My  heart  is  called  on  to  resign. 
Of  all  the  gifts  in  heaven  or  earth. 

The  best,  the  very  best,  is  mine : 
The  love  of  God,  in  Christ  made  known, 
The  love  that  satisfies  alone, 
The  love  of  God  is  all  mine  own  !" 

Hearken  !  Now  the  voice  pleads  without,  "  Open  unto  me, 
and  I  will  come  in  and  sup  with  you."  What  say  you  ? 
O  Jesus  Christ !  what  shall  we  say  ?  Dearest  of  friends, 
most  sovereign  of  kings,  mightiest  of  helpers,  come  in 
this  day ;  come  in  and  sup  with  us  ! 


WHY   SHOULD   I   PRAY?  239 

WHY  SHOULD  I  PRAY? 


"Ask,  ...  seek,  ...  knock."    Matt.  7:7. 

The  beginning  of  theology  is  the  divineness  of  man. 
We  can  entertain  no  correct  views  of  truth  until  we 
recognize  the  fact  that  we  are  akin  with  God. 

It  is  written  that  "  God  created  man  in  his  own  image 
and  after  his  likeness."  Wherein  does  this  likeness 
reside?  Not  in  the  body,  though  it  is  not  inappro- 
priately called  "  the  human  form  divine  "  ;  for  God  has 
"  neither  body,  parts,  nor  passions."  Nor  is  it  mainly  in 
the  intellect,  for  God,  being  omniscient,  performs  no 
mental  processes  and  reaches  no  logical  conclusions :  all 
things  being  always  present  to  him.  The  resemblance 
must  be,  therefore,  in  the  moral  or  spiritual  part  of  man. 
In  this  he  is  differentiated  from  all  the  lower  orders  of  life : 
they  never  bow  the  knees  or  lift  the  eyes  in  worship ; 
We  assert  our  divine  kinship  in  our  communion  with 
God. 

What  is  prayer  ?  We  minimize  it  when  ^e  regard  it 
simply  as  a  matter  of  momentary  phrase  and  posture.  It 
is  that,  but  vastly  more.  Prayer  is  Hke  the  commerce 
which  goes  on  between  the  ocean  and  the  clouds.  There 
is  a  perpetual  exhalation  of  moisture  which  descends  in 
morning  dews  and  rains ;  exhales  again  in  rising  mists, 
and  murmurs  back  in  brooks  and  rivulets  and  rolling 
rivers  to  the  seas,  and  so  forever.  Thus  there  is  a  prayer 
without  ceasing — a  devout  communion,  like  the  love  be- 
tween a  mother  and  her  child,  of  which  words  of  endear- 
ment are  an  essential  part,  but  not  all. 


240  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

There  are  some  who  hold  that  prayer  is  a  mere  rela- 
tion ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  a  devout  spirit 
could  fail  to  express  itself  in  formal  acts  of  devotion. 
There  are  others  to  whom  prayer  is  little  or  nothing 
more  than  saying  one's  prayers.  Still  others  never  pray 
at  all.  To  all  alike  the  rationale  of  prayer  should  be  a 
matter  of  supreme  importance,  for  there  is  nothing  that 
more  vitally  concerns  our  eternal  weal  than  the  ground 
and  method  of  our  communion  with  God. 

I.  It  is  obedience  to  the  voice  of  nature. 

"  For  what  are  men  better  than  sheep  or  goats, 
That  nourish  a  blind  life  within  the  brain, 
If,  knowing  God,  they  lift  not  hands  of  prayer 
Both  for  themselves  and  those  who  call  them  friends? 
For  so  the  whole  round  earth  is  every  way 
Bound  by  gold  chains  about  the  feet  of  God." 

Plutarch  says,  "  If  we  traverse  the  world,  we  shall  find 
people  who  have  no  walls,  nor  fleets  nor  armies,  no 
kings  nor  legislatures,  no  theatres  nor  schools;  but  a 
people  without  a  temple  no  man  ever  saw."  The  uplift- 
ing of  a  soul  in  formal  devotion  is  the  expression  of  a 
universal  instinct.  The  prayerless  man  is,  therefore, 
guilty  of  a  sin  against  nature.  If  humanity  were  in  its 
normal  state  the  heart  would  commune  with  the  great 
Father  as  naturally  as  a  heliotrope  turns  towards  the  sun. 
Not  long  ago  I  was  sent  for  to  visit  a  humble  home 
where  an  only  child  lay  dying.  The  mother  had  been 
accustomed  to  pray  in  her  earlier  hfe,  but  religion  had 
long  ceased  to  afford  her  any  sensible  comfort.  The 
father  was  a  defiant  unbeliever.  As  we  stood  beside  the 
bed  a  sudden  pallor  came  upon  the  little  face,  the  sure 
token  of  approaching  death,  and  the  father  cried  in  a 
voice  of  anguish,  "  For  God's  sake,  pray  !"     Thus  nature 


WHY   SHOULD    I   PRAY?  24I 

asserted  herself  at  last ;  and  indeed  there  are  seasons  in 
every  life  when  the  soul  is  forced  to  cry  out  unto  God. 

II.  Prayer  is  reasonable.  It  is  common  in  these 
times  to  say  that  prayer  is  irrational,  because  it  suggests 
an  interference  with  the  calm  processes  of  law.  This 
statement  is  substantially  that  which  Milton  assigns  to 
the  Prince  of  Darkness  : 

"  If  by  prayer 
Incessant  I  could  hope  to  Change  the  will 
Of  Him  who  all  things  can,  I  would  not  cease 
To  weary  Him  with  my  assiduous  cries ; 
But  prayer  against  his  absolute  decree 
No  more  avails  than  breath  against  the  wind, 
Blown  stifling  back  on  him  who  breathes  it  forth." 

In  this  rationalistic  argument,  however,  certain  facts  of 
importance  are  lost  sight  of  ( i )  There  is  a  law-giver  who 
is  above  all.  God  reigns  in  the  midst  of  law.  The  laws  of 
the  universe  emanate  from  him  as  sunbeams  from  the  cen- 
tral orb.  Among  the  last  words  of  David  Strauss  were 
these :  "  In  the  enormous  machine  of  the  universe,  amid 
the  incessant  whirl  and  hiss  of  its  iron-jagged  wheels  and 
the  deafening  crash  of  ponderous  stamps  and  hammers, 
in  this  terrific  commotion,  I  find  myself  a  helpless  and 
defenceless  man  ;  not  sure  for  a  moment  that  a  wheel  may 
not  seize  and  rend  me  or  a  hammer  crush  me  into  pow- 
der:  and  this  sense  of  abandonment  is  something  awful !" 
Such  is  the  darkness,  the  despair,  into  which  the  soul  is 
brought  when  it  eliminates  God  from  the  philosophy  of 
life.  (2)  No  account  is  made  of  God's  reserve.  Why 
should  it  be  assumed  that  all  the  laws  of  the  universe 
have  been  revealed  to  us  ?  We  see  things  moving  in  a 
certain  way  and  leap  to  the  conclusion  that  they  can  move 
in  no  other.     But  why  ?     If  a  member  of  your  household 

Religion  of  the  Future.  1 6 


242  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

falls  ill  the  malady  is  not  allowed  to  pursue  its  course 
unhindered  ;  you  forthwith  call  the  doctor,  who  intro- 
duces a  new  factor  into  the  problem — arrests  and  reverses 
what  seems  to  be  the  natural  order  of  things.  May  not 
God  in  like  manner  be  summoned  to  help  us  ?  An  engi- 
neer is  driving  his  locomotive  at  full  speed  when  a  Httle 
child  is  seen  playing  on  the  track  before  it.  What  now  ? 
Is  there  no  deliverance  ?  Must  this  monster  pursue  its 
course  unhindered  ?  No ;  the  engineer  lays  his  hand 
upon  a  lever  and  reverses  its  wheels.  May  not  the  Mas- 
ter of  the  universe  pursue  a  like  course  when  his  children 
cry  unto  him?  (3)  It  is  forgotten  that  love  is  above  all. 
God  is  love.  "  Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  so  the 
Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him."  At  the  beginning  of  our 
Civil  War  there  was  a  general  demand  for  the  liberation  of 
slaves,  but  it  was  "unconstitutional" — law  stood  in  the 
way.  There  came  a  time,  however,  when  obstacles  yielded 
to  a  higher  necessity  :  salus  populi  suprema  lex.  Then 
Lincoln  signed  the  emancipation  proclamation.  All  legal 
obstacles  yielded  to  the  public  weal.  Prayer  touches  the 
divine  heart  and  takes  hold  upon  that  love  which  is  the 
supreme  law.  *' If  earthly  parents  know  how  to  give 
good  gifts  unto  their  children,  how  much  more  shall 
your  Father  in  heaven  give  good  things  to  them  that 
ask  him  !" 

III.  It  is  noble  to  pray :  and,  conversely,  it  is  ignoble 
not  to  pray. 

If  there  is  a  God — and  unless  all  are  prepared  to 
make  that  concession  the  controversy  ends  here  and  now — 
and  if  all  our  blessings  are  from  him,  then  it  would  ap- 
pear that  a  grateful  acknowledgment  is  in  the  nature  of 
common  courtesy.  Let  me  speak  in  a  parable  :  I  had 
an  acquaintance  once  who  fell  into  sudden  adversity.      I 


WHY   SHOULD    I    PRAY?  243 

helped  him.  I  provided  the  food  upon  his  table ;  I  en- 
abled him  to  keep  a  shelter  over  his  head  ;  time  passed, 
and  prosperity  returned  to  him,  but  he  made  no  acknowl- 
edgment of  the  debt.  To-day  I  pass  him  on  the  street  but 
he  does  not  recognize  me.  What  say  you  of  such  a  man  ? 
He  is  a  mean  man.  All  will  agree  upon  that — he  is  a 
mean  man.  But  how  is  it  with  yourself  in  your  relations 
with  God?  The  breath  in  your  nostrils  is  from  him. 
The  bread  upon  your  table  is  his  bread.  All  that  you 
have  in  the  world  is  from  his  gracious  hand,  yet  you 
have  not  the  courtesy  to  say,  "  I  thank  you."  Is  not  this 
ignoble  ?  or  shall  we  observe  a  lower  rule  of  courtesy  in 
our  relations  to  Jehovah  than  in  our  relations  with  our 
fellow  men  ?  Moreover,  we  are  sensible  of  having  offended 
him.  We  have  broken  his  righteous  laws.  If  I  tread 
upon  your  foot  I  forthwith  offer  you  an  apology.  I  were 
no  gentleman  if  I  failed  to  do  this.  What  then  shall  we 
say  for  ourselves  if,  having  grieved  our  Heavenly  Father 
in  numberless  ways,  we  offer  no  amends  ?  nay,  refuse 
even  to  say,  "  I  am  sorry,"  or  "  1  ask  pardon  "  ?  It  is 
such  considerations  as  these  that  moved  Plato,  in  formu- 
lating his  ideal  republic,  to  pronounce  prayerlessness  a 
crime  in  the  nature  of  lese  Majesti  ;  and,  when  persisted 
in,  punishable  with  death. 

IV.  It  is  in  pursuance  of  the  divine  will.  A  word 
here  will  answer.  There  is  scarcely  a  section  of  Holy  Writ 
in  which  we  are  not  enjoined  to  call  upon  the  Lord  and 
make  known  our  requests  unto  him.  "  Ask — seek — 
knock."  It  is  the  command  of  God.  Here  is  the  altar 
with  the  smoke  rising  continually  towards  heaven ;  here 
are  swinging  censers  with  their  ascending  odors  typifying 
the  acceptableness  of  petition ;  and  here  is  the  mercy-seat 
sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus,  who  ever  liveth  to  make 


244  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

intercession  for  us.  If  confirmation  of  the  ordinance  be 
asked,  we  shall  find  it  in  the  example  of  Christ  himself 
What  a  sermon  might  be  preached  on  his  prayer-life! 
He  was  constant  in  supplication. 

"Cold  mountains  and  the  midnight  air 
Witnessed  the  fervor  of  his  prayer." 

V.  Prayer  is  answered.  This  is  the  consummation  of 
the  argument.  Prayer  moves  the  hand  that  moves  the 
world.  It  is  asserted  in  some  quarters  that  prayer  is  val- 
uable for  its  reflex  influence  alone :  we  ask,  not  that  we 
may  receive,  but  that  we  may  be  made  content  without 
receiving ;  our  seeking  and  our  knocking  are  important 
because  they  bring  us  into  a  devotional  and  placid  mood. 
It  is  true  that  prayer  is  blessed  in  its  reflex  influence. 
The  face  of  Moses  shone  when  he  came  down  out  of  the 
mountain.  But  this  is  not  all.  Imagine  a  man,  when  you 
knock  at  his  door,  calHng  out  of  his  window,  "  You  are 
quite  right,  my  friend.  I  have  no  intention  of  opening 
the  door,  but  this  is  good  exercise  for  you.  Keep  on 
knocking.  Come  again  to-morrow,  and  presently  you 
will  attain  to  such  a  condition  of  mind  that  you  will  no 
longer  care  to  come  in."  The  importunate  neighbor  in 
the  parable  was  admitted  and  received  the  loaves  of  bread. 
Nay,  nay  ;  the  Lord  meant  precisely  what  he  said :  "  Ask, 
and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock,  and 
it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 

A  few  years  ago  Prof  Tyndall  proposed  a  prayer-test, 
which  was,  very  properly,  rejected  for  many  reasons,  but 
best  of  all  because  a  universal  prayer-test  has  been  going 
on  since  the  beginning  of  time.  Men  in  trouble  have 
gone  staggering  to  the  trysting- place  to  utter  their  sup- 
plication before  God,  and  have  come  forth  light-hearted. 


WHY    SHOULD    I   PRAY?  245 

Souls  in  trouble  have  prostrated  themselves  at  the  mercy- 
seat,  and  have  risen  again  to  find  that  the^  clouds  were 
cleared  away,  and  have  gone  their  way  singing.  The 
winter  is  past,  the  rain  is  over,  and  again  the  flowers  ap- 
pear on  the  earth ;  the  time  of  the  singing  of  birds  is 
come.  We  speak  that  we  do  know ;  we  testify  that  we 
have  seen.  This  poor  man  cried  out,  and  the  Lord  heard 
and  saved  him  out  of  all  his  trouble. 

In  the  time  of  the  Scottish  persecutions,  the  "men  of 
a  certain  village  having  gone  forth  to  the  defence  of 
their  country,  the  village  minister  was  left  alone  with  the 
women  and  children.  On  receiving  news  of  the  approach 
of  the  bloody  Claverhouse  he  got  them  all  together  and 
sought  a  shelter  among  the  hills.  Ere  they  had  reached 
their  destination  they  heard  the  blast  of  a  trumpet,  and 
across  a  narrow  gorge  saw  Claverhouse  and  his  men. 
What,  then,  should  be  done  ?  The  minister  knelt  down 
with  the  women  and  children  about  him  and  prayed  :  "  O 
Lord,  thou  seest  our  extremity.  This  is  the  hour  and 
the  power  of  thine  enemies.  Twine  them  about  the  hills, 
O  Lord,  and  cast  the  lap  of  thy  cloak  over  puir  old 
Saunders  and  these  frail  bairns,  and  save  these  for  thy 
great  mercy's  sake ;  then  will  we  tell,  to  the  commenda- 
tion of  thy  goodness,  what  thou  didst  for  us  at  sic  a  time." 
And  when  they  raised  their  eyes  a  cloud  of  mist  rising 
from  the  valley  had  intervened  between  them  and  their 
persecutors.  He  had  twined  them  about  the  hills ;  he  had 
cast  the  lap  of  his  cloak  over  the  women  and  bairns,  and 
they  escaped.  A  mere  coincidence  ?  Praise  God,  all  his- 
tory is  full  of  such  coincidences.  The  Hfe  of  every  believer 
is  full  of  them.  Miracles  ?  Ay,  every  answer  to  prayer 
is  a  miracle.  God  worketh  wonders  in  answer  to  his  chil- 
dren's cry. 


246  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

To  your  knees,  then,  O  believer !  More  things  are 
wrought  by  prayer  than  this  world  dreams  of.  God  hears 
and  answers.  Let  us,  therefore,  pray  and  never  faint. 
*'  When  wilt  thou  cease  thy  begging  ?"  said  Queen  Eliza- 
beth to  Raleigh.  "  Never,  your  Majesty,"  he  replied, 
"  until  thou  cease  thy  giving." 


HOW    SHALL   I    PRAY?  247 

HOW  SHALL  I  PRAY? 


"  And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  he  was  praying  in  a  certain  place, 
when  he  ceased,  one  of  his  disciples  said  unto  him.  Lord, 
teach  us  to  pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples."  Luke 
ii:i. 

Who  among  us  has  not  a  secret  place  where  the  un- 
answered prayers  of  the  past  years  are  put  away  like 
letters  bearing  the  stamp,  '*  Uncalled  for  " — a  place  where 
we  go  to  mourn  over  hope  deferred,  crying,  "  Would  God 
that  he  had  heard  me  !" 

Why  are  our  prayers  ever  unanswered  ?  Is  it  because 
God  is  unable  ?  Nay.  "  Hast  thou  not  known,  hast  thou 
not  heard,  that  the  everlasting  God,  the  Creator  of  the 
earth,  fainteth  not,  neither  is  weary  ?"  It  is  as  easy  for 
him  to  hear  the  hardest  prayer  as  for  a  mother  to  take 
her  infant  to  her  breast.  Is  it  then  because  he  is  unwill- 
ing? Not  this,  surely;  for  "if  ye  then,  being  evil,  know 
how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much 
more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give  good 
things  to  them  that  ask  him!"  The  fault  is  ours.  We 
ask,  and  receive  not,  because  we  ask  amiss. 

So,  then,  no  prayer  is  more  important  than  this : 
"  Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray."  To  whom  can  we  go  but 
unto  him?  We  stand  near  the  shadow  of  the  oHve-trees 
and  hear  him  as  he  presses  to  his  lips  the  purple  cup  of 
death.  He  has  taken  upon  his  heart  the  burden  of  the 
world's  sin.  The  pain  of  the  great  sacrifice  has  begun. 
"  Oh,  my  Father,"  he  pleads,  "  if  it  be  possible  let  this 
cup  pass   from    me !"    once  and  again ;  and  then   again, 


248  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE    FUTURE. 

"  Oh,  my  Father,  if  it  be  not  possible,  thy  will  be  done !" 
He  comes  forth  from  the  shadow,  his  face  marked  with 
the  agony  of  that  awful  prayer  as  it  were  with  great  drops 
of  blood.  And  of  him  we  ask  the  momentous  secret, 
'*  Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray." 

The  qualifications  of  real  prayer — the  prayer  that  wins 
a  hearing  and  an  answer  at  the  heavenly  throne — are  as 
follows : 

I.  We  must  believe  iii  God.  "  When  ye  pray  say, 
Our  Father."  A  famous  positivist  was  wont  to  formulate 
his  supphcations  on  this  wise :  "  O  God,  if  there  be  a 
God,  save  my  soul,  if  I  have  a  soul."  In  like  manner  the 
ancient  Romans  were  accustomed  to  write  their  prayers 
on  slips  of  parchment  and  toss  them  into  the  air,  in  the 
hope  that  a  favoring  wind  might  carry  them  to  the  feet  of 
some  propitious  deity.  So  shipwrecked  sailors,  tossed 
upon  the  ocean,  write  out  the  story  of  their  extremity, 
enclose  it  in  a  bottle,  and  trust  it  to  the  waves.  A  child 
playing  by  the  seashore  finds  it,  opens,  and  reads  it : 
"  We  are  going  down  ;  our  provisions  are  gone ;  there  is 
no  hope."  Is  this  the  method  of  our  prayer?  Nay  ;  we 
must  believe  that  God  is,  and  that  he  Is  the  rewarder  of 
them  that  diligently  seek  him.  He  must  be  to  us  a  sub- 
lime verity,  an  ever-present  help  in  time  of  trouble,  a  ref- 
uge from  the  storm  and  a  shadow  from  the  heat,  when 
the  blast  of  the  terrible  ones  is  as  a  storm  against  the 
wall.  We  shall  not  be  able  to  say,  "  Our  Father,"  unless 
we  believe  in  him  as  a  prayer-hearing  and  a  prayer- 
answering  God. 

II.  We  must  get  down  before  him — low  down  before 
him.  It  is  not  a  question  of  bodily  posture.  The  priests  of 
the  olden  time  were  wont  to  pray  standing,  with  their  faces 
towards  the  skv.    David  sat  down  before  God.    Solomon 


HOW    SHALL   I   PRAY?  249 

knelt  in  the  presence  of  the  great  congregation  when  he 
dedicated  the  house  magnifical.  Abraham  prostrated 
himself  upon  the  earth  before  the  Holy  One.  It  matters 
little  whether  we  sit  or  stand  or  kneel,  or  he  upon  our 
faces  like  the  Moslem  when  he  cries,  Allah  il  Allah  /  if 
only  our  souls  are  humbled  before  him.  The  last  lesson 
that  we  learn  is  humihty.  We  are  loth  to  concede  the 
difference  that  separates  between  the  finite  and  the  infi- 
nite. But  what  are  we  that  God  should  be  mindful  of 
us  ?  We  are  the  creatures  of  his  hand  and  alienated 
from  him  by  our  many  sins.  It  was  not  until  Paul  was 
an  aged  man  that  he  wrote,  Anno  Domini  59,  "I  am 
not  worthy  to  be  called  an  apostle."  It  was  five  years 
later  before  he  had  progressed  so  far  in  the  great  lesson 
as  to  confess,  "  I  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints."  But 
in  the  year  of  his  death,  when  he  was  quite  ready  for  his 
translation  to  the  heavenly  life,  he  said,  "  I  am  the  chief 
of  sinners." 

III.  We  must  have  so7nething  to  say.  The  word  with 
which  God  greets  us  as  we  approach  the  mercy-seat  is 
this,  "What  wilt  thou?"  There  is  a  broad  difference 
between  saying  one's  prayers  and  praying.  A  sigh  has 
more  prevailing  power  with  God  than  the  most  sweetly 
chanted  Paternoster  without  heart-meaning.  A  tear  has 
more  of  beauty  in  his  sight  than  the  most  elegant  figure 
of  speech  woven  in  a  saint's  litany.  The  penitent  cry  of 
a  returning  prodigal  makes  sweeter  music  in  his  ears  than 
all  the  antiphonies  of  the  chanting  monks. 

**  Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire 
Uttered  or  unexpressed ; 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire 

That  trembles  in  the  breast !"    . 

An   illustration   of  simphcity  in   prayer   is  found   in 


250  THE  RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

"Bleak  House,"  where  poor  Joe  is  dying:  he  looks  up 
dimly  at  his  companion  and  says, 

"  It 's  turned  wery  dark,  sir !  Is  there  any  light 
a-comin'  ?" 

"Joe,  my  poor  fellow  !" 

"  I  hear  you,  sir,  in  the  dark ;  but  I  'm  a-gropin', 
a-gropin';  let  me  catch  hold  of  your  hand." 

"Joe,  can  you  say  what  I  say?" 

"  I  '11  say  anythink  as  you  say,  for  I  knows  it 's  good." 

"  '  Our  Father—'  " 

"  '  Our  Father ' — yes,  that 's  wery  good,  sir." 

"  *  Which  art  in  heaven'  " — 

"  '  Art  in  heaven.'     Is  the  light  a-comin',  sir?" 

"  It 's  close  at  hand,  Joe ;  'Hallowed  be  thy  name.'  " 

"  '  Hallowed— be-thy—'  " 

The  light  is  come  upon  the  poor  benighted  way. 
Dead! 

IV.  Faith  :  the  promise  is,  "  If  ye  shall  ask  anything 
in  my  name,  beheving  that  ye  receive  it,  ye  shall  have  it." 
God  must  be  taken  at  his  word.  Prayer  without  faith  is 
as  water  poured  upon  the  ground.  A  father  brought  his 
lunatic  child  to  be  healed  by  the  disciples  in  the  absence 
of  Christ.  In  vain  did  he  entreat  them ;  their  hands 
had  not  yet  caught  the  Master's  cunning.  The  by-stand- 
ers  were  deriding  them  for  their  impotency,  and  the  child 
lay  at  their  feet  foaming  in  convulsions.  At  that  moment 
Jesus  came  down  from  the  mountain  all  glowing  with  the 
brightness  of  the  transfiguration ;  as  he  drew  near,  the 
distracted  father  ran  to  meet  him,  crying,  "  Oh,  Master,  I 
beseech  thee  to  look  upon  my  child,  for  he  is  my  only 
child,  and  if  thou  canst  do  anything,  have  mercy  upon 
us  !"  If  thou  canst !  Ah,  notwithstanding  his  agony  of 
earnestness,  he  doubted.     "  It  is  possible,"  said  Christ, 


HOW   SHALL   I    PRAY?  ^51 

"  if  thou  believest."  There  was  something  in  the  words, 
possibly  in  the  kindly  look  of  Jesus,  that  convinced  the 
man.  "  Lord,  I  believe  ;  help  thou  mine  unbelief"  And 
immediately  the  child  was  made  whole.  It  was  then  that 
Jesus  said  to  the  multitude,  "  Whatsoever  things  ye  ask 
for,  if  ye  believe  that  ye  receive  them,  ye  shall  have 
them." 

Doubt  is  our  worst  enemy  at  the  mercy-seat.  It  shuts 
up  the  windows  of  heaven  ;  it  clips  the  wings  of  our  peti- 
tions and  leaves  them  fluttering  like  wounded  birds  striv- 
ing in  vain  to  reach  the  upper  air ;  it  bewilders  them  on 
the  borders  of  the  promised  land,  so  that,  like  faithless 
Israel,  they  "  cannot  enter  in  because  of  unbelief;"  it  cries, 
"  There  is  a  lion  in  the  way !"  it  lifts  a  white  flag  in  the 
hour  of  triumph  ;  it  chants  a  dirge  when  hope  calls  for 
hosannas;  it  blocks  up  the  way  to  infinite  wealth  with 
"ifs"  and  "perhapses."  But  faith  is  the  battle-axe  with 
which  the  suppliant  fights  his  way  to  heaven's  gate. 
Aye,  through  the  gate  to  the  treasure-house.  Oh,  the 
wonders  that  faith  works,  subduing  kingdoms,  stopping 
the  mouths  of  Hons,  quenching  the  violence  of  fire ! 

We  are  to  believe,  not  merely  in  God's  word,  but  in 
his  wisdom — in  his  superior  wisdom.  For  we  know  not 
what  to  pray  for  as  we  ought. 

"  We,  ignorant  of  ourselves. 
Beg  often  our  own  harms,  which  the  wise  powers 
Deny  us  for  our  good." 

It  is  not  so  much  a  spirit  of  submission  we  need  as  of 
cheerful  acquiescence  in  the  divine  wisdom.  Paul  tells  us 
that  he  prayed  thrice  that  his  thorn  in  the  flesh  might 
depart  from  hiln.  The  Lord,  however,  knew  best.  He 
knew  that  Paul's  thorn  had  some  disciplinary  value  which 


252  THE    RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

made  it  necessary  to  his  welfare,  so  he  said,  "My  grace 
shall  be  sufficient  for  thee;  for  my  strength  is  made  per- 
fect in  weakness."  It  was  a  sore  trial ;  no  doubt  Paul 
groaned  under  it  and  wondered  why  God  could  not  grant 
his  desire.  But  the  time  came  when  he  perceived  the 
meaning  of  it,  and  said,  "Most  gladly,  therefore,  will  I 
glory  in  my  infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may 
rest  upon  me."  This  is  the  voice  of  filial  confidence.  It 
does  not  mean  that  we  are  content  to  have  our  prayers 
unanswered,  but  that  we  are  quite  content,  in  view  of 
God's  superior  wisdom,  to  have  him  answer  as  he  will. 
Thus  Charles  Wesley  wrote: 

"  Whate'er  I  ask,  I  surely  know 

And  steadfastly  believe, 
Thou  wilt  the  thing  desired  bestow, 

Or  else  a  better  give. 
To  Thee,  I,  therefore.  Lord,  submit 

My  ever  fond  request ; 
And  own,  adoring  at  thy  feet, 

Thy  will  is  always  best." 

V.  Importunity.  Let  us  remember  the  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  how  he  said,  "The  kingdom  of  heaven  suf- 
fereth  violence  and  the  violent  take  it  by  force."  In  Hke 
manner  Terence,  in  speaking  of  prayer  at  the  pagan 
altars,  used  the  expression  obtundere  deos,  as  if  the  peti- 
tions must  be  rolled  over  like  rumbhng  wheels  against 
the  doorways  of  the  gods.  Of  this  we  may  be  sure,  God 
loves  our  importunity.  Bishop  Hall  says,  "  It  is  not  the 
arithmetic  of  our  prayers,  how  many  they  be ;  nor  the 
geometry  of  our  prayers,  how  long  they  be;  nor  the 
rhetoric  of  our  prayers,  how  elegant  they  be;  nor  the 
music  of  our  prayers,  how  sweet  they  be ;  nor  the  divin- 
ity of  our  prayers,  how  much  of  the  marrow  of  sound 


HOW   SHALL   I    PRAY?  253 

doctrine  they  hold ;  but  it  is  the  fervency  of  our  prayers 
that  availeth  much." 

That  was  a  wonderful  parable  that  was  enacted  by  the 
brook  Jabbok  when  Jacob  wrestled  with  the  Angel  of  the 
Covenant.  All  night  long  he  struggled  with  his  unknown 
Antagonist  until,  when  the  morning  began  to  shine  above 
the  eastern  hills,  the  Angel  cried,  "  Let  me  go,  for  the  day 
breaketh."  It  was,  however,  a  question  of  life  or  death 
with  the  patriarch,  for  his  wronged  brother  was  awaiting 
him  beyond  the  brook.  "  I  will  not  let  thee  go,"  there- 
fore he  cried,  "until  thou  bless  me."  Then  the  blessing 
came,  and  Jacob  was  crowned  a  prince  because  he  had 
prevailed  with  God.  It  is  given  for  our  instruction,  that 
we  may  know  how  men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to 
faint. 

VI.  The  use  of  appropriate  means :  for  faith  without 
works  is  dead.     Hannah  More  was  wont  to  say, 

**  If  faith  produce  no  works,  I  see 
Thy  faith  is  not  a  living  tree  ; 
They  're  soul  and  body,  hand  and  heart ; 
What  God  hath  joined  let  no  man  part." 

One  reason  why  rich  men's  sons  so  frequently  come  to 
naught  is  because  their  fathers  do  everything  for  them. 
God  means  that  we  shall  have  everything  that  we  need, 
but,  like  the  father  of  Prince  Hal,  he  intends  that  we 
shall  win  our  spurs.  The  wagoner  in  the  old  fable,  who, 
when  his  cart  was  stuck  fast  in  the  mire,  stood  with  folded 
hands  praying  to  Hercules  for  deliverance,  was  laughed 
at  by  all  who  observed  him.  At  length,  however,  a  phi- 
losopher passed  by  who  said,  "  Friend,  how  would  it  an- 
swer if  thou  shouldst  put  thy  shoulder  to  the  wheel  ?" 
God  helps  no  one  out  of  difficulty  unless  he  shows  a  dis- 
position to  help  himself. 


254  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

We  have  seen  now  some  of  the  prerequisites  of  suc- 
cessful prayer.  But  after  all  it  is  not  so  important  that 
we  should  pray  properly  as  that  we  should  pray  some- 
how. Our  Father  is  not  exacting.  He  heard  that  poor 
woman  who  in  her  sorrow  of  childlessness  came  and  threw 
herself  upon  the  temple  floor  and  moved  her  lips  but 
uttered  not  a  word.  He  welcomes  all  who  come  to  lay 
their  burdens  at  his  feet. 

A  youth  was  condemned  to  die  for  desertion  from  our 
Federal  army.  His  widowed  mother  determined  to  save 
him.  She  made  her  way  to  Washington  afoot,  preparing 
herself  as  she  went  for  the  ordeal  that  awaited  her.  She 
knew  just  how  she  would  address  the  President  if  she 
were  permitted  to  meet  him.  She  was  admitted  to  the 
Executive  Mansion.  No  sooner  did  she  see  the  tall, 
homely  man  with  the  kindly  face  approaching  her  than 
all  her  fine  words  and  well-rounded  phrases  forsook  her, 
and  she  threw  herself  before  him  crying,  "  Oh,  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, save  my  boy  !" 

"There  's  a  wideness  in  God's  mercy 
Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea  : 
There  's  a  kindness  in  his  justice 
Which  is  more  than  liberty. 

"  If  our  love  were  but  more  simple 
We  should  take  him  at  his  word ; 
And  our  lives  would  be  all  sunshine 
In  the  sweetness  of  our  Lord." 


THE  AMERICAN  SABBATH.  255 

THE  AMERICAN  SABBATH. 


"Verily  my  Sabbaths  ye  shall  keep:  for  it  is  a  sign  between  me  and 
you  throughout  your  generations  ;  that  ye  may  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord  that  doth  sanctify  you."     Ex.  31 :  13. 

The  children  of  Israel  were  called  to  be  a  peculiar 
people.  It  was  their  special  work  to  keep  the  oracles 
and  hand  them  down  to  coming  ages.  It  pleased  God 
to  make  a  covenant  with  them  in  which  he  promised, 
on  condition  of  faithfulness,  a  continuance  of  prosperity 
and  national  life.  The  sign  of  that  covenant  was  the 
Sabbath.  The  observance  of  that  day  was  to  be  a  token 
that  Israel  was  loyal  to  the  divine  law.  A  special  prom- 
ise was  attached  to  it — "  If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  from 
the  Sabbath,  from  doing  thy  pleasure  on  my  holy  day; 
and  call  the  Sabbath  a  delight,  the  holy  of  the  Lord,  hon- 
orable ;  and  shalt  honor  him,  not  doing  thine  own  ways, 
nor  finding  thine  own  pleasure,  nor  speaking  thine  own 
words :  then  shalt  thou  delight  thyself  in  the  Lord ;  and 
I  will  cause  thee  to  ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth, 
and  feed  thee  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  father ;  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 

No  two  nations  are  alike.  Each  has  its  distinctive 
features.  In  nothing  is  the  difference  more  marked  than 
in  the  mode  of  Sabbath  observance.  The  Latin  nations 
spend  the  day  in  pleasure :  in  Spain  it  is  the  bull-fight ; 
in  Italy  the  carnival ;  in  Paris  the  dance- hall,  the  open 
(*)  The  Anniversary  Sermon  of  the  American  Sabbath  Union,  by 
Rev.  D.  J.  Burrell,  D.  D.,at  the  Marble  Collegiate  Church,  December 
10,  1893. 


256  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

theatre,  the  annual  races,  and  pleasure  of  every  sort.  The 
Teutonic  nations  observe  the  day — if  it  may  be  called 
observance — in  a  more  phlegmatic  way.  They  have  the 
Schuetzenfest,  the  beer  garden,  the  concert,  the  socialistic 
meeting.  The  Anglo-Saxon  nations  preserve  the  serious 
traditions  of  the  rest  day.  In  England  the  rule  of  observ- 
ance is  prescribed  by  the  national  church  ;  in  America, 
however,  there  is  no  religious  establishment,  and  the 
Sabbath  is  in  no  wise  under  denominational  control,  but 
the  day  is  not  the  less  scrupulously  kept  on  that  account. 
It  is  distinctively  a  rest  day. 

No  nation  is  more  loyal  to  the  Sabbath  than  our  own. 
The  Pilgrim  Fathers,  as  they  neared  the  New  England 
coast,  found  it  impossible  to  land  without  desecrating  the 
holy  day.  It  was  bleak  December  weather.  The  ship 
was  moored  by  a  little  island  at  an  hour's  distance  from 
the  mainland.     There  they  landed  and  spent  the  Sabbath. 

**  Amid  the  storm  they  sang  ; 

And  the  stars  heard,  and  the  sea  ! 
And  the  sounding-  aisles  of  the  dim  woods  rang 

To  the  anthem  of  the  free." 

From  that  day  until  the  present  the  Sabbath  has  been 
observed  with  more  or  less  earnestness  among  us.  It  is 
dies  non  in  our  courts  and  legislatures.  As  a  rule,  the 
work  of  the  people  is  arrested,  the  fires  are  banked  in  the 
factories,  the  hammer  lies  unused  upon  the  anvil.  With 
a  solitary  exception,  every  one  of  the  States  of  the  Re- 
public has  enacted  Sabbath  laws. 

The  American  Sabbath  is  one  of  our  peculiar  institu- 
tions. It  is  not  secular,  neither  is  it  subject  to  ecclesi- 
astical authority.  How  could  it  be,  in  a  government 
where  there  is  an  utter  divorcement  of  Church  and  State  ? 


THE   AMERICAN   SABBATH.  257 

Nevertheless  it  rests  upon  a  strong  foundation.  It  finds 
its  sanctions  in  certain  facts,  which  must  endure  in  the 
very  nature  of  things. 

I.  A  physical  or  hygienic  fact.  The  necessity  of  Sab- 
bath rest  was  written  in  the  constitution  of  man  before  it 
was  inscribed  on  the  tables  of  the  law.  It  is  interwoven 
with  our  very  nerves  and  sinews.  Our  sleep  is  not 
enough.  The  clock  runs  down  regularly  at  the  end  of 
the  sixth  day,  and  the  Sabbath  is  the  key  that  winds  it. 
The  philosopher  Proudhon,  a  socialist,  and  author  of  the 
aphorism,  '*  Property  is  robbery,"  was  ready  to  concede 
an  argument  for  revelation  in  the  fact  that  the  Bible  fixes 
the  exact  ratio  of  labor  to  rest.  "  No  scientist,"  he  says, 
"  could  have  discovered  that  the  proper  ratio  is  six  to 
one."  In  the  time  of  the  French  Revolution  it  was  de- 
creed that  every  tenth  day  should  be  set  apart  for  rest 
and  recreation,  but  the  effort  failed.  In  the  last  Paris 
Exposition  a  medal  was  awarded  to  Sabbath  literature  in 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  one  day  in  seven  is  necessary 
for  physical  and  mental  rest.  Thus  it  is  made  to  appear, 
quite  apart  from  the  Scriptures,  that  the  Sabbath  was 
made  for  man. 

II.  An  industrial  fact.  In  America  we  are  profoundly 
concerned  for  the  welfare  of  our  workingmen.  The  labor- 
ing class  is  our  strength  and  hope.  We  have  no  titled 
orders  or  privileged  classes.  We  lean  upon  the  "  Third 
Estate."  So  that  whatever  concerns  the  welfare  of  honest 
toil  is  of  supreme  importance  to  our  national  life.  It  will 
be  well,  therefore,  to  give  heed  to  the  fact  that  wherever 
the  Sabbath  has  been  devoted  to  toil  the  result  has  been 
not  an  increased  income,  but  merely  seven  days'  work  for 
six  days'  wages.  The  Lord  admonished  the  children  of 
Israel  that  manna  gathered  on  the  Sabbath  despite  his 

Keligion  of  the  Future.  I  7 


258  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

injunction  would  breed  worms.  The  same  is  true  of  any 
outcome  of  Sabbath  labor.  It  never  pays.  A  committee 
appointed  in  Louisville  to  investigate  this  matter  reported 
as  follows :  "  We  appeal  to  the  workingmen,  to  those 
who  labor  by  the  piece  or  by  the  day.  In  regard  to 
Sunday  amusements  we  remind  them  that  wherever  the 
Sunday  laws  are  disregarded  labor  increases  much  faster 
than  public  amusement.  In  Paris,  for  instance,  under  the 
appearance  of  a  gala  day,  the  workingman's  Sunday  is  as 
toilsome  as  any  other  day,  the  contractors  getting  out  of 
their  men  the  most  that  is  to  be  gotten.  And,  what  closes 
up  the  case,  it  can  be  shown  that  if  the  Sabbath  becomes 
a  working  day  the  laborer  will  not  get  a  penny  more  for 
seven  days'  toil  than  for  six."  This  has  been  tested  again 
and  again.  The  owner  of  one  of  the  great  mills  in  Min- 
neapolis states  that  his  men  not  only  do  better  work,  and 
keep  themselves  in  better  health,  but  grind  more  flour 
per  annum  by  working  six  days  in  the  week  than  men 
in  other  mills  can  do  when  working  seven  days. 

III.  A  social  fact.  We  glory  in  our  American  homes. 
The  home-hfe  depends  upon  Sabbath  observance.  The 
man  of  the  house  is  busy  in  the  shop  or  office  all  the 
week.  He  leaves  his  home  in  the  early  morning  and 
oftentimes  returns  after  his  children  are  in  bed.  It  is  on 
the  Sabbath,  if  ever,  that  he  makes  the  acquaintance  of 
his  wife  and  family.  Then  he  gathers  them  about  him 
at  the  family  altar ;  sits  with  them  in  the  sanctuary  in  the 
family  pew ;  has  time  to  commune  with  them  around  the 
family  board ;  it  is,  in  many  cases,  his  only  opportunity 
for  knowing  them.  In  France  the  home-life  has  been 
largely  broken  up  by  indulgence  in  Sabbath  pleasures. 
You  may  see  the  people  sitting  in  front  of  the  cafes  all 
the  day,  and  far  into  the  night.     In  Germany  the  beer- 


THE   AMERICAN   SABBATH.  259 

garden  has  encroached  upon  the  sanctity  of  domestic 
Hfe.  The  home  is  often  Httle  more  than  a  place  to  eat 
and  sleep  in — a  front  door  and  a  bed  room.  In  Hne  with 
these  pleasures  a  vast  amount  of  Sabbath  toil  has  crept 
in.  A  bill  was  brought  before  the  Imperial  ParHament 
some  time  ago  providing  that,  except  in  cases  of  necessi- 
ty, manufacturers  may  not  compel  their  workmen  to  labor 
on  Sundays.  During  the  consideration  of  this  measure 
a  member  from  Berlin,  who  was  also  a  physician,  said,  "  I 
have  had  occasion,  in  my  career  as  a  practitioner,  to  visit 
more  than  9,000  workmen  who  worked  on  Sunday  in 
their  shops  or  at  their  homes,  and  I  have  it  on  proof  that 
the  Sunday  labor  has  the  most  disastrous  effect.  In 
their  homes  slovenliness  and  discord  reign;  the  life  of 
the  wine-shop  has  supplanted  family  life." 

IV.  A  civil  fact ;  that  is,  in  the  province  of  political 
economy.  It  is  greatly  to  be  questioned  whether  a  nation 
can  be  continuously  prosperous  which  does  not  keep  the 
Lord's  Day.  France  is  the  land  of  revolutions.  Pius  IX. 
in  a  brief  pontifical  wrote,  "  Lose  not  a  day,  not  an  hour, 
not  a  moment ;  go  and  tell  France,  that  France  which  is 
so  dear  to  me,  that  if  she  would  be  saved  she  must  return 
to  the  sanctification  of  the  Lord's  Day."  In  Germany, 
where  the  same  danger  has  been  realized,  a  change  of 
public  sentiment  is  noted.  Von  Moltke  and  other  dis- 
tinguished leaders  have,  in  the  interest  of  the  Imperial 
welfare,  lent  their  influence  distinctly  to  Sabbath  reform. 
In  England,  an  effort  to  open  the  pubhc  museums  on  the 
Sabbath  was  defeated  in  the  House  of  Commons  by  a 
vote  of  229  to  87.  The  Lord  High  Chancellor,  in  a 
speech  against  the  proposed  measure,  said,  "  If  the  State 
once  enters  upon  a  course  of  the  kind,  the  only  point  at 
which  it  would  stop  short  is  the  point  which  has  been 


26o  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE    FUTURE. 

reached  in  foreign  capitals,  where  there  is  absolutely  no 
protection  to  the  workingman  in  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath.  I  resist  the  motion,  too,  on  higher  grounds. 
Nothing  could  be  more  injurious  to  the  intellectual,  the 
moral,  and  the  physical  welfare  of  the  country  than  that 
anything  should  be  done  by  the  State  which  would  lend 
countenance  to  the  idea  that  men  are  anxious  to  get  rid 
of  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  as  they  now  enjoy 
it."  In  America  we  are  obliged  to  meet  the  political 
heresies  which  are  brought  to  us  by  immigrants  from  all 
the  nations  beyond  the  sea.  God  save  the  republic! 
The  voice  of  history  is  clear :  the  nation  that  defies  God 
in  this  matter  cannot  prolong  its  life.  The  children  of 
Israel,  in  spite  of  warnings  and  admonitions,  refused  to 
keep  the  Sabbatic  law.  The  desecration  continued  for  a 
period  of  seventy  Sabbatic  years.  For  this  offenSe  ex- 
plicitly they  were  sent  away  into  captivity ;  and,  in  exact 
retribution,  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon  they  endured  a 
wretched  bondage  of  seventy  years. 

V.  A  fact  in  the  argument  as  to  personal  rights. 
We  are  often  told,  when  urging  the  enforcement  of  our 
Sabbath  laws,  to  "  mind  our  own  business."  This  is 
precisely  what  we  propose  to  do.  "  What  constitutes 
a  State  ?"  says  Sir  William  Jones. 

"  Men  who  their  duties  know, 
But  know  their  rights,  and  knowing,  dare  maintain." 

(i)  I  have  a  right  to  rest  without  disturbance  on  the 
Lord's  Day.  (2)  No  man  can  presume  under  the  guar- 
antee of  our  free  institutions  to  interfere  with  that  right. 
(3)  It  is  incumbent  on  the  government  to  protect  me 
and  other  citizens  in  that  right  of  Sabbath  rest.  In  these 
facts  lies  the  rationale  of  our  Sabbath  laws. 


THE  AMERICAN   SABBATH.  261 

In  the  International  Congress  at  Geneva,  in  1876, 
where  this  question  was  in  controversy,  an  American  del- 
egate spoke  as  follows :  "  I  beg  you,  European  Liberals 
and  Democrats,  to  accept  this  as  the  unanimous  voice  of 
American  Democracy,  after  250  years  of  practical  experi- 
ment :  that  we  want,  and  will  have,  our  legally  protected 
day  of  rest  as  the  sine  qua  no7i  of  our  free  institutions  and 
of  our  economic  success.  We  recognize  the  patent  and 
obvious  principle  that  the  liberty  of  rest  for  each  depends 
upon  a  law  of  rest  for  all  The  difference  between  Amer- 
ican republicanism,  which  has  been  learned  by  250  years 
of  successful  experiment,  and  the  republicanism  of  our 
imported  fellow-citizens,  that  has  been  learned  from  books 
of  theory  under  the  shadow  of  old  despotisms,  is  this : 
that  we  insist  that  the  law  of  the  liberty  of  Sunday  rest 
shall  be  applied  faithfully,  impartially,  logically,  to  the 
whole  community,  on  the  principles  of  liberty,  equality, 
and  fraternity,  while  a  part  of  our  naturalized  fellow- 
citizens  are  resolved  that  the  equal  right  to  repose  of  one 
part  of  the  population  shall  be  sacrificed  to  the  privilege 
of  amusement  of  another  part.  We  stand  for  equal  rights 
in  this  matter ;  we  shall  not  give  them  up ;  and  for  the 
charter  and  warrant  of  this  great  national  franchise  we 
appeal,  not  to  some  venerable  parchment,  stamped  with 
heraldic  seals  and  written  over  with  concessions  wrung 
from  an  unwilling  tyrant;  not  to  declarations  of  the 
rights  of  man  promulgated  with  theatric  pomp  by  a  revo- 
lutionary assembly;  not  to  the  provisions  of  our  storm- 
beaten  but  staunch  and  stable  Constitution ;  not  even  to 
the  preamble  of  that  illustrious  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence whose  trumpet  tones,  a  hundred  years  ago,  struck 
the  first  note  of  that  march  to  which  the  world  has  been 
moving  forward  ever  since;   but   to  that  primeval  and 


262  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

most  democratic  statute-book  which,  first  in  the  history 
of  mankind,  ordained  a  government  without  monarchy  or 
aristocracy ;  which  has  been  the  inspiration  of  the  world's 
best  hberty,  and  which  in  its  Sabbath  law  enunciated  thus 
the  equality  of  human  rights :  *  The  seventh  day  is  the 
Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God :  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do 
any  work;  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  nor  thy 
man-servant,  nor  thy  maid-servant — that  thy  man-servant 
and  thy  maid-servant  may  rest  as  well  as  thou.'  " 

VI.  A  moral  fact ;  that  is,  in  the  province  of  the  moral 
life.  Our  life  is  more  than  meat  and  drink.  A  man  is 
better  than  a  horse.  We  are  made  in  God's  likeness  ;  we 
confront  great  problems  ;  we  apprehend  sublime  truths  ; 
we  commune  with  the  Infinite;  we  live  for  ever.  It  is 
wise,  therefore,  to  hold  ourselves  above  the  mere  drudgery 
of  common  tasks.  The  soul  must  have  breathing  space, 
and  we  must  turn  aside  and  think.  The  Sabbath  is  not 
for  mere  physical  rest,  but  for  the  recreation  of  our  nobler 
powers.  It  is  a  day  when  we  may  come  up  out  of  the 
mists  of  the  valley  and  dwell  in  the  sunshine  and  breathe 
exhilarating  draughts  of  mountain  air  with  God.  It  is  a 
time  to  look  in  upon  our  own  souls  ;  to  look  around  upon 
the  welfare  of  our  friends  and  neighbors ;  to  look  up  to- 
wards the  inheritance  which  is  prepared  for  us,  and  into 
the  face  of  our  Heavenly  Father.  Thus  is  it  gloriously 
true  that  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man ;  for  his  uplift- 
ing ;  for  the  enlargement  of  his  nobler  life.  An  officer  in 
one  of  the  labor  guilds  of  New  York  city  writes  as  follows : 
"Within  a  radius  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  the  Colle- 
giate Church  there  are  at  least  five  community  workshops 
of  shoemakers,  in  which  labor  is  carried  on  a  part  or  whole 
of  Sunday.  For  this  there  is  no  adequate  return  in  wages. 
Twenty-five  years  ago  a  custom  shoemaker  could  earn 


THE   AMERICAN    SABBATH.  263 

twenty-five  dollars  a  week ;  to-day  he  cannot  make  more 
than  one-half  of  it.  So  with  all  other  occupations  where 
Sunday  labor  is  the  rule.  The  result  of  this  Sabbath  dese- 
cration is  lamentable  in  the  extreme.  Wherever  it  is 
pursued  the  average  intelligence  is  low,  and  the  moral 
tone  almost  ceases  to  exist.  I  can  never  think  of  some  of 
these  places  without  calling  to  mind  Carlyle's  story  of  the 
men  of  the  Dead  Sea,  of  whom  he  says  :  '  They  made  no 
use  of  their  souls,  and  so  lost  them.  But  there  returned 
to  them  every  Sabbath  a  bewildered  and  half  conscious, 
half-unconscious  reminiscence  of  the  time  when  they  were 
men  with  souls  responsive  to  the  eternal  verities.' " 

VII.  A  religious  fact.  Nor  is  this  without  weight  in 
our  republic.  For,  however  we  may  object  to  the  union 
of  Church  and  State,  we,  as  a  nation,  acknowledge  our 
obligations  to  God.  And  it  has  been  formally  determined 
by  the  unanimous  decision  of  the  Supreme  Bench  that 
ours  is  a  Christian  nation ;  that  is,  its  underlying  princi- 
ples are  those  which  belong  to  the  Christian  faith.  So 
that,  in  the  last  reduction,  we  make  our  appeal  always  to 
the  divine  law.  Observe  (i)  God  claims  a  property  right 
in  the  Sabbath;  as  it  is  written,  *'The  seventh  day  is  the 
Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God."  It  is,  therefore,  in  the 
nature  of  robbery  for  a  man  or  a  nation  to  refuse  to  ob- 
serve it.  (2)  The  duty  of  Sabbath  observance  grows  out 
of  the  divine  example ;  as  it  is  written,  "  In  six  days  the 
Lord  made  heaven  and  earth,  and  rested  on  the  seventh 
day :  Wherefore,  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath  day  and 
hallowed  it."  We  are  God's  children,  and  we  are  required 
to  keep  the  Sabbath  because  he  kept  it.  (3)  It  rests  dis- 
tinctly on  a  divine  command :  **  Remember  the  Sabbath 
day  to  keep  it  holy."  The  word  "  remember  "  is  signifi- 
cant ;  it  suggests  that  there  is  danger  of  forgetting  it. 


264  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

Now,  finally,  what  is  the  duty  of  Christian  people  in 
these  premises  ?  Two  things  we  can  and  should  do. 
First,  For  ourselves,  we  should  scrupulously  keep  the 
day.  Let  us  do  no  work  therein.  "When  we  leave  the 
office  or  workshop  on  Saturday  night  it  should  be  closed 
with  a  time-lock  set  to  open  on  Monday  morning.  Sec- 
ular affairs  of  the  world  should  cease  for  us.  There 
should  be  no  reading  of  business  letters  or  consulting  the 
ledger  on  the  holy  day.  The  Sunday  newspaper  should 
be  kept  out  of  our  homes  as  an  intruder.  The  hours 
should  be  scrupulously  observed  in  rest  and  worship— in 
the  delights  of  the  family  circle,  in  the  sacred  pleasures 
of  the  sanctuary,  and  in  the  trysting  place  with  God. 
Second,  It  devolves  upon  us  to  stand  guard  over  the  sanc- 
tions of  the  Lord's  Day.  We  have  statutory  laws  for  its 
observance  ;  in  the  interest  of  our  country  and  society,  as 
well  as  of  our  personal  welfare,  let  us  look  to  their  en- 
forcement. It  will  be  a  portentous  day  for  America  when 
the  Sabbath  shall  lose  its  hold  upon  the  people.  On  May 
16,  187 1,  in  Paris,  the  Communists  tore  down  the  Column 
Vendome.  It  represented  a  cycle  of  glorious  history.  It 
commemorated  Austerlitz  and  Marengo.  There  were 
sad  hearts  in  Paris  that  day,  for  when  it  fell  the  glory  of 
France  fell  with  it.  So  will  it  be  if  ever  the  malignant 
spirits  that  assail  our  American  Sabbath  shall  have  their 
way.  All  the  prized  traditions  of  our  civil  and  religious 
freedom  are  associated  with  that  day.  The  Lord  enable 
us  to  so  employ  its  sacred  hours  that  we  may  all  at  last 
enter  into  the  rest  which  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God  ! 


THE   BARREN   FIG-TREE.  265 


THE  BARREN  FIG-TREE. 


"  And  on  the  morrow,  when  they  were  come  from  Bethany,  he  was 
hungry:  and  seeing  a  fig-tree  afar  off  having  leaves,  he 
came,  if  haply  he  might  find  anything  thereon:  and  when  he 
came  to  it,  he  found  nothing  but  leaves;  for  the  time  of  figs 
was  not  yet.  And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  it,  No  man 
eat  fruit  of  thee  hereafter  for  ever.  And  his  disciples  heard 
it."     Mark  ir :  12,  13,  14. 

It  was  Monday  of  Passion  Week.  There  were  four 
days  only,  and  so  much  to  be  done.  Our  Lord  was  en- 
tertained during  these  last  days  at  the  home  of  Lazarus  in 
Bethany,  an  easy  walk  from  Jerusalem.  Each  morning 
he  betook  himself  to  the  city  and  preached  to  the  multi- 
tudes who  thronged  to  hear  him,  and  late  at  night,  weary, 
he  retraced  his  steps  to  Bethany.  On  this  particular 
morning,  as  he  drew  near  to  the  city  with  some  of  his 
disciples,  it  is  said  that  he  was  a-hungered.  Had  Martha, 
the  busy  housewife,  neglected  to  prepare  his  morning 
meal  ?  Or  had  he,  in  deference  to  the  Jewish  law,  refused 
to  break  his  fast  before  the  early  sacrifice  ?  Or  had  he 
spent  the  previous  night  on  the  mountain-side  in  prayer  ? 
In  any  case,  he  was  a-hungered.  Here  was  a  fig-tree  by 
the  roadside  in  full  foliage.  He  approached,  lifted  the 
leaves,  and,  lo !  there  was  nothing  there.  Then  he  said, 
**  No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee  hereafter  for  ever." 

The  next  day,  as  certain  pilgrims  came  that  way  they 
saw  the  fig-tree  withered,  and  said,  "  There  is  a  worm  at 
its  root ;"  or  perhaps,  "  The  sun  scorched  it."  But  as  his 
disciples  passed  by  they  called  to  remembrance  the  Mas- 


266  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

ter's  words,  and  Peter  said,  "Behold,  the  fig-tree  which 
thou  cursedst  is  withered  away  !" 

Why  did  Jesus  curse  the  fig-tree  ?  Not  for  its  un- 
comeliness ;  for,  while  its  neigrhbors  stood  all  bare  and 
unsightly,  it  was  adorned  with  foliage.  Nor  yet  for  its 
barrenness ;  there  was  no  reason  why  it  should  be  bearing 
fruit  at  that  season,  "  for  the  time  of  figs  was  not  yet." 
But  the  tree  was  cursed  for  being  false.  It  vaunted  itself 
above  all  its  fellows  as  a  fruitful  tree,  for  the  fig-tree  is 
wont  to  put  forth  its  fruit  before  its  leaves.  "  Behold,"  it 
seemed  to  say,  *'  my  forwardness  !  The  other  trees  have 
naught  but  swelling  buds,  yet  here  am  I  in  full  leaf.  Thou 
art  hungry,  come  and  see  what  fruit  I  bear."  But  for  all 
this  profession  there  was  nothing  to  show. 

"  But,"  say  the  critics,  "  it  was  not  Christ  like  to  curse 
a  living  thing.  He  came  not  to  destroy  but  to  save.  His 
miracles  were  full  of  mercy— the  opening  of  blind  eyes,  the 
wiping  away  of  lepers'  scales,  the  healing  of  sore  hearts." 
A  great  truth,  however,  was  to  be  taught,  and  it  was 
Christhke  thus  to  teach  it.  The  fig-tree  was  his,  for  he 
made  it ;  standing  by  the  roadside,  no  man  owned  it ;  it 
was  an  insensate  thing  and  suffered  not.  Shall  a  farmer 
have  right  to  cut  down  an  olive-tree  for  the  crooked 
share  of  his  plough,  or  shall  a  boatman  fell  an  oak  for 
his  canoe,  and  may  not  the  Son  of  God  have  right  to 
go  among  his  own  trees  and  choose  one  for  a  mighty 
use? 

The  cursing  of  this  barren  tree  was  an  acted  parable. 
It  taught  this  lesson  :  the  pe^ialty  of  an  empty  prof ession  is 
eternal  emptiness  ;  the  outcome  of fruitlessness  in  this  pro- 
bationary life  is  barre7iness  for  ever. 

I.  This  lesson  was  primarily  addressed  to  the  fews. 
They  were  a  "  chosen  people."     Chosen  to  what  ?     Not 


THE   BARREN   FIG-TREE.  26/ 

to  a  peculiar  right  in  the  kingdom  so  much  as  to  peculiar 
tasks  and  responsibilities.  At  the  time  when  the  nations 
were  wandering  away  from  truth  and  righteousness  it 
pleased  God  to  call  Abram  out  of  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  that 
he  and  his  children  should  become  the  depositaries  of  the 
true  religion  and  of  the  hope  of  the  coming  Messiah,  and 
should  pass  on  that  blessed  heritage  to  the  coming  ages. 
To  this  end  they  were  entrusted  with  the  oracles  in  which 
was  recorded  "  the  hope  of  Israel ;"  that  is,  the  coming 
of  Messiah,  who  should  deliver  the  world  from  sin.  To 
the  same  end  they  had  the  Temple,  with  its  elaborate 
ceremonial,  in  which  every  knop  and  almond  blossom,  the 
laver,  the  brazen  altar,  the  table  of  show-bread,  the  golden 
candlestick,  the  fine  twined  curtain,  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant, with  blood,  blood  sprinkled  everywhere,  all  told  of 
the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world ;  the 
Lamb  whose  offering  on  Calvary  was  to  bring  about  the 
glorious  restitution  of  all  things..  And  to  the  same  end 
they  were  secluded  in  the  promised  land  :  a  little  strip  of 
country,  hemmed  in  like  a  closet  by  sea  and  desert  and 
mountains,  where  they  were  to  dwell  as  a  separated  peo- 
ple, holding  in  trust  their  great  responsibiUty  and  awaiting 
the  coming  of  the  promised  One. 

What  was  the  outcome  ?  They  became  the  proudest 
people  on  earth  ;  insomuch  that  they  had  no  dealings 
with  the  nations  around  them.  They  held  their  Scrip- 
tures as  a  fetich ;  the  word  of  God  was  overlaid  with  the 
traditions  of  the  elders.  The  Temple  came  to  be  the 
centre  of  an  empty  ritualism  of  which  the  Lord  grew 
weary.  "  To  what  purpose,"  said  he,  "  is  the  multitude  of 
your  sacrifices  unto  me  ?  I  am  full  of  the  burnt  offerings  of 
rams  and  the  fat  of  fed  beasts.  Bring  no  more  vain  obla- 
tions.    Your  incense  is  an  abomination  unto  me.     The 


268  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

new  moons  and  Sabbaths  and  calling  ot  assemblies  I 
cannot  away  with.  I  am  weary  to  bear  them."  They 
were  scrupulous  in  the  observance  of  all  outward  forms. 
They  paid  tithes  of  mint,  anise  and  cummin  ;  they  broad- 
ened their  phylacteries ;  they  made  long  prayers  at  the 
corners  of  the  streets  to  be  seen  of  men ;  the  life  had 
wholly  gone  out  of  their  devotion.  "  Ye  make  clean  the 
outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the  platter,"  said  the  Lord,  "  but 
within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  excess."  And  again, 
"  Ye  are  like  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which  are  fair  with- 
out, but  within  full  of  dead  men's  bones,  and  all  unclean- 
ness."  The  nation  was  false  to  its  great  responsibility. 
While  keeping  up  this  show  of  righteousness  it  had  wan- 
dered far  from  God.  "The  hope  of  Israel"  had  so  far 
lost  its  hold  upon  them  that  when  Messiah  came,  whom 
they  should  have  received  with  acclamations  of  welcome, 
he  had  for  them  no  form  or  comeliness,  and  there  was  no 
beauty  in  him  that  they  should  desire  him.  And,  where- 
as they  had  been  chosen  to  receive  the  Christ  and  glorify 
him  before  all  the  people,  they  led  him  out  beyond  their 
walls  and  put  him  to  an  ignominious  death. 

For  this  recreancy  to  duty,  for  this  abundance  of  foli- 
age without  fruit,  the  curse  of  barrenness  passed  upon 
them.  A  people  of  great  intellect,  of  splendid  culture, 
of  vast  wealth,  of  glorious  history,  of  an  unparalleled 
hneage,  they  are  the  one  great  people  who  are  without 
apparent  influence  on  the  world's  destiny  or  the  great 
movements  of  succeeding  ages. 

In  the  old  wall  of  Jerusalem  there  is  a  rood  of  Cyclo- 
pean blocks  where  the  Jews  are  wont  to  assemble  and 
sorrowfully  read  over  the  records  of  their  past  glory.  It 
is  their  "  wailing-place."  They  sit  rocking  to  and  fro, 
sobbing  their  prayers  into  the  very  crevices  of  the  wall. 


THE   BARREN   FIG-TREE.  269 

The  barren  tree  is  withered,  stripped  of  its  leaves  and 
fruit  alike:  the  chosen  people,  false  to  their  duty  and  their 
destiny,  are  doomed  to  perpetual  fruitlessness. 

II.  But  the  lesson  comes  nearer  home  ;  it  is  for  the 
followers  of  Christ.  We  also  are  a  chosen  people.  It  is 
written  :  "  He  gave  himself  for  us  that  he  might  redeem 
us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works."  The  "good  works" 
here  referred  to  have  reference  to  the  propagation  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  The  work  which  Israel  failed  to  do  is 
laid  upon  us,  namely,  to  transmit  the  true  religion  to 
coming  generations  and  to  spread  abroad  the  gospel  of 
the  Messiah  until  all  the  nations  shall  bow  before  him. 

We  profess  great  things.  The  tree  puts  forth  a  luxu- 
riant foliage,  in  which  the  world  as  well  as  our  Master  has 
reason  to  expect  much  fruit.  We  profess  repentance ; 
that  is,  hatred  and  abandonment  of  sin.  We  profess 
regeneration ;  that  is,  a  new  life  in  Christ  Jesus — new 
hopes,  new  purposes  and  aspirations.  We  profess  sanc- 
tification ;  that  is,  a  building  up  of  character  under  the 
influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  imitation  of  Christ. 
We  profess  to  be  the  servants  of  our  Lord,  anxious  to 
follow  in  his  footsteps  in  the  winning  of  souls  and  the 
hastening  of  the  Kingdom  of  Truth  and  Righteousness. 
We  profess  an  entire  consecration — time,  talents,  posses- 
sions all  laid  before  our  Master's  feet.  We  profess  to 
believe  that  our  life  here  is  but  a  handbreadth  and  that 
we  journey  towards  a  better  country,  even  a  heavenly, 
so  that  our  conversation  should  not  be  here  but  in  heaven, 
and  our  lives  be  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  The  tree  that 
bears  such  leafage  should  surely  be  abundantly  fruitful. 
What  manner  of  persons  ought  we  to  be  ! 

The  fruit  v/hich  should  naturally  be  expected  of  us 


270  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE  FUTURE. 

under  these  circumstances  is  of  two  kinds,  (i)  Charac- 
ter. We  are  called  to  be  saints  and  holy  people.  You 
remember  how  St.  Anthony  is  represented — sitting  in  his 
cave  with  downcast  face,  clad  in  hair- cloth,  and  bearing 
the  marks  of  long  fasting,  a  crucifix  over  him,  a  skull  be- 
side him.  Bat  this  is  not  the  saint  of  modern  time.  He 
is  rather  a  man  among  men;  truthful,  upright,  one  who 
meets  his  honest  obligations,  vows  and  pays  to  his  own 
hurt,  good-tempered  at  home,  reverent  everywhere,  char- 
itable and  kindly  towards  all.  You  recall  also  how  St. 
Cecilia  is  represented — with  harp  in  hand,  halo  about  her 
brow,  and  eyes  uplifted  towards  an  angel  choir.  But  this 
is  not  the  saint  of  modern  time.  Nay,  rather,  an  elect 
lady  who  layeth  her  hands  to  the  spindle  and  maketh 
strength  and  honor  her  clothing ;  who  reacheth  forth  her 
hands  to  the  needy  and  feareth  the  Lord ;  true  and  gen- 
tle in  her  appointed  place.  It  is  such  saindiness  that 
should  be  expected  of  those  who  follow  the  Christ. 

The  other  form  of  fruit  is  (2)  Duty ;  by  which  we  mean 
loyalty  to  the  supreme  obligation  of  the  Christian  life, 
which  is  to  do  one's  utmost  for  the  deliverance  of  this 
world  from  the  shame  and  bondage  of  sin.  Here  is  a 
world  lying  in  darkness.  Here  is  the  cross  uplifted  in  its 
midst,  and  here  is  the  voice  saying,  **  Go  ye,  evangelize." 
Our  Lord  came  into  the  world  to  save  it  by  his  self- 
denial,  and  he  said,  "  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  so  have 
I  sent  you."  We  are  to  make  our  power  felt  in  the  better- 
ment of  our  community,  in  the  sweetening  of  social  life, 
in  the  winning  of  souls.  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth ; 
but  if  the  salt  hath  lost  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it  be 
salted  ?  it  is  thenceforth  good  for  nothing."  "  Ye  are  the 
light  of  the  world ;  let  your  light  so  shine  that  men  may 
see  your  good  works  and  glorify  God." 


THE   BARREN   FIG-TREE.  2/1 

III.  The  lesson  has  a  still  further  application :  to  7ion- 
Christians.  "  We  make  no  profession,"  they  say.  Oh, 
yes,  they  do !  They  profess  great  things.  They  put 
forth  an  abundance  of  leaves,  i.  They  profess  a  com- 
plete self-sufficiency.  They  feel  no  need  of  prayer ;  they 
rise  in  the  morning  and  enter  upon  the  dangers  of  trav- 
elHng  through  an  unknown  country  without  calling  for 
help  and  guidance  from  above,  and  in  this  they  avow 
themselves  to  be  able  to  get  along  without  God.  2.  They 
profess  to  have  no  need  of  the  atoning  work  of  Christ. 
They  stand  on  their  own  merits.  If  they  are  conscious 
of  sin  they  propose  to  bear  it.  We  who  have  thrown 
ourselves  upon  the  mercy  of  the  Saviour  know  that  we 
cannot  in  our  own  righteousness  stand  at  the  judgment 
bar,  but  they  have  no  such  scruples.  The  mis-lived  past 
has  no  terrors  for  them.  3.  They  profess  to  have  no 
need  of  the  church.  The  church  is  a  co-operative  asso- 
ciation in  which  Christ  has  placed  us  because  we  need 
mutual  prayer  and  helpfulness.  But  they  need  no 
prayer,  they  need  no  sympathy ;  they  are  strong  enough 
to  stand  by  themselves. 

It  is  clear  that  those  who  make  such  imposing  pro- 
fessions should  be  righteous  above  others.  They  cer- 
tainly should  (i)  bear  the  fruit  of  spotless  character.  Jean 
Jacques  Rousseau,  when  he  was  dying,  said,  *'  O  thou 
unknown  Spirit,  I  return  the  soul  which  I  received  from 
thee  as  pure  as  when  thou  gavest  it."  The  man  who  could 
speak  with  such  assurance  was  surely  bUnd  to  his  own 
failings.  Yet  one  who  professes  no  need  of  prayer,  no 
need  of  the  atonement  and  intercession  of  Christ  and  no 
need  of  the  fellowship  of  the  church  ought  to  be  able  to 
say  as  much  as  he ;  and  (2)  he  should  bear  the  fruit  of  duty 
as  well.     An  abstinence  from  all  relation  with  the  church 


2/2  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

does  not  absolve  from  duty.  A  man  has  his  own  ap- 
pointed place  to  fill,  his  own  great  responsibilides  to 
meet,  his  own  tasks  to  perform  in  an  earnest  world.  To 
live  in  the  tread-mill  of  mere  brod-und- butters c haft,  to 
seek  a  livelihood  or  a  competence,  to  win  success  in  selfish 
ambitions,  to  attain  wealth  or  honor,  this  is  surely  not  to 
meet  one's  obligations.  At  this  point  success,  if  it  go  no 
farther,  is  failure;  for  it  means  recreancy  to  one's  high 
destiny  and  to  the  grave  duties  which  are  involved  in  it. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  great  temple  of  Minerva 
was  erected  in  Athens  all  sculptors  were  invited  to  com- 
pete in  the  carving  of  a  great  statue  for  its  dome.  On 
the  day  of  the  award  a  famous  artist  brought  his  work :  a 
life-size  statue  of  Minerva,  so  beautiful  that  it  was  re- 
ceived with  acclamations  of  delight.  But  as  it  was  raised 
to  its  place  it  grew  smaller  and  smaller,  undl  it  seemed 
but  a  speck  against  the  sky.  The  work  of  a  poor  me- 
chanic was  then  unveiled,  huge  and  uncouth ;  but  as  it 
v/as  raised  aloft  its  deformities  vanished  and  it  seemed 
more  and  more  comely,  until,  reaching  the  dome,  it  seemed 
animate  with  life.  Alas !  for  the  man  whose  work  here 
is  only  life-size ;  who  measures  his  duty  by  the  require- 
ments of  time  and  sense.  How  it  will  dwindle  as  it 
approaches  eternity !  But  work  for  the  Master,  wrought 
in  simple  love  of  right  doing  and  for  the  universal  weal, 
will  grow  more  and  more  beautiful  as  earth  fades  and 
eternity  draws  near.  Oh,  let  us  live  as  if  we  believed  in 
the  glory  of  the  endless  life  ! 

And  what  is  the  outcome?  Here  is  the  universal 
law  :  to  be  unfruitful  here  is  to  be  barre7i  forever.  You 
may  see  outside  the  gates  of  Bombay  the  holy  Yogi,  who, 
in  obedience  to  his  solemn  vow,  has  held  his  right  arm 
aloft  so  long  that   it  has  become  a  nerveless,  shrivelled 


THE    BARREN    FIG-TREE.  273 

thing ;  its  sinews  are  as  hard  as  cord,  its  nails  are  like  a 
crow's  talons ;  it  is  indeed  no  better  than  dead.  Yet 
that  right  arm  was  capable  of  great  things.  It  might  have 
ploughed  the  field,  it  might  have  reached  out  in  charity, 
it  might  have  lifted  the  burden  of  the  weary,  but  it  has 
lost  its  chance.  So  it  is  ever  true  that  unused  powers 
are  cursed  with  uselessness.  The  life  of  mere  profession 
is  cursed  with  barrenness :  "  No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee  for 
ever."  But,  conversely,  the  reward  of  fruitfulness  is  pro- 
motion to  higher  tasks.  We  think  that  heaven  is  a  place 
of  rest,  but  the  rest  of  heaven  is  that  which  comes  from 
loyalty  to  duty :  "  Thou  hast  been  faithful  in  a  very  litde, 
have  thou  authority  over  ten  cities."  To  fight  the  good 
fight  here  is  to  wear  the  service-chevron  there.  Paul 
had  suffered  many  things  in  Jerusalem  as  elsewhere.  He 
had  been  scourged  and  imprisoned  and  stoned.  He  bore 
about  in  his  body  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  when 
he  was  old  his  reward  came.  How  ?  In  a  season  of  rest  ? 
Nay.  But  in  glorious  promotion.  There  was  a  city 
where  to  preach  the  gospel  meant  to  face  the  mouths  of 
Hons  or  the  flaming  sword.  "  Thou  hast  borne  witness  of 
me  in  Jerusalem,"  said  the  Master,  "  thou  shalt  bear  wit- 
ness of  me  also  in  Rome."  Ah,  this  is  heaven :  to  go 
from  noble  service  to  noble  service,  from  fruitfulness  to 
the  bearing  of  more  fruit !  The  man  who  is  faithful  here 
shall  be  yonder  like  a  tree  planted  by  the  rivers  of 
water ;  he  shall  bring  forth  his  fruit  in  his  season ;  his 
leaf  also  shall  not  wither,  and  whatsoever  he  doeth  shall 
prosper — shall  prosper  forever  ! 


Religion  of  the  Fntnre. 


18 


274  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 


A  PROFITABLE  LIFE. 


"  I  beseech  thee  for  my  son  Onesimus,  whom  I  have  begotten  in  my 
bonds:  which  in  time  past  was  to  thee  unprofitable,  but  now 
profitable  to  thee  and  to  me."     Phil,  lo:  ii. 

Paul,  while  awaiting  the  outcome  of  his  appeal  to 
Ceesar,  was  kept  in  custody  in  the  Praetorian  camp.  Here 
he  was  treated  with  marked  courtesy.  The  law  requir- 
ing him  to  be  chained  to  a  guard  could  not  be  relaxed, 
but  for  two  years  he  was  permitted  to  dwell  in  his  own 
hired  house,  where  he  had  liberty  to  receive  and  converse 
with  all.  He  was  an  old  man  of  sixty,  in  decrepit  health, 
but  his  intellect  was  unimpaired.  It  was  during  this 
imprisonment  that  he  wrote  many  of  those  wonderful 
Epistles  which  are  still  the  doctrinal  guides  of  the  church. 
By  his  personal  address  he  led  certain  of  the  imperial 
household  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  He  was  constantly 
engaged,  as  he  tells,  in  "  preaching  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  teaching  those  things  which  concern  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  with  all  confidence,  no  man  forbidding  him."  One 
day  a  poor  refugee  found  his  way  to  the  camp  and  was 
brought  into  contact  with  this  aged  prisoner.  He  was  a 
forlorn  object,  but  his  misery  did  not  exclude  him  from 
the  provisions  of  the  gospel  of  grace.  Paul  won  his  con- 
fidence and  the  story  of  his  past  life  came  out.  "  I  was  a 
slave,"  said  he,  '*  in  the  house  of  Philemon  at  Colosse." 
(Philemon !  No  doubt  Paul  started  at  the  name,  for  he 
had  known  Philemon  in  the  fellowship  of  Christ.)  "  I  was 
indolent  and  discontented  in  his  service.  At  length  I 
robbed  my  master  and  ran  away.     On  coming  to  Rome 


A   PROFITABLE   LIFE.  275 

I  fell  in  with  the  surging  multitude  of  slaves.  Among 
them  I  squandered  my  ill-gotten  money,  and  thus  came 
to  this  sorry  plight."  To  this  fugitive  slave,  hungry, 
friendless,  and  guilt-stricken,  the  great  Apostle  preached 
the  gospel  of  forgiving  grace.  For  had  not  Christ  come 
to  seek  the  lost  ?  Did  he  not  minister  to  thieves  and 
magdalenes?  Was  he  not  able  to  save  unto  the  utter- 
most? The  poor  guilty  slave  accepted  Christ  as  his 
Saviour.  What  then  ?  "  Go  back,"  said  Paul,  "  to  your 
old  master  and  make  confession  and  restitution,  as  be- 
comes a  penitent  man."  He  consented,  and  bore  with 
him  a  letter,  charming  in  its  gentle  diplomacy,  in  which 
Paul  besought  Philemon  to  receive  his  former  slave  "  not 
as  a  servant,  but  as  a  brother  beloved ;"  adding,  no 
doubt  with  reference  to  the  purloined  money,  "  if  he  have 
wronged  thee,  or  oweth  thee  aught,  put  that  on  my 
account;  I  will  repay  it"  He  proposes,  moreover,  to 
stand  sponsor  for  his  tuture  behavior,  saying,  "  I  beseech 
thee  for  my  son  Onesimus,  whom  I  have  begotten  in  my 
bonds ;  who  in  time  past  was  to  thee  unprofitable,  but  will 
now  be  profitable  to  thee  and  to  me."  As  to  the  subse- 
quent life  of  Onesimus  we  know  nothing,  though  tradition 
says  that  he  became  bishop  of  one  of  the  Macedonian 
churches. 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  be  profitable ;  to  be  of  some 
account  in  the  world.  "  Is  life  worth  living  ?"  That 
depends.  If  it  mean  simply  a  year  in  a  mother's  arms, 
and  a  year  or  two  more  with  doll  or  rocking-horse,  and  a 
few  more  years  with  primer  and  spelling-book,  then  the 
pleasures  of  youth,  dreams  and  aspirations ;  then  the 
delights  and  responsibilities  of  social  and  business  life, 
cares,  crow's  feet,  laughter,  tears,  "  the  whips  and  scorns 
of  time,"  the  almond-tree  blossoming,  the  grasshopper  a 


2/6  THE    RELIGION    OF   THE    FUTURE. 

burden,  eyes  dim,  shoulders  bowed,  lights  out,  curtains 
down,  crape  on  the  door,  a  handful  of  dust — if  that  be  all, 
the  game  is  not  worth  the  candle.  It  is  no  better,  as  the 
great  dramatist  says,  than  "a  tale  told  by  an  idiot,  full  of 
sound  and  fury,  signifying  nothing." 

It  is  a  question  of  investment ;  quid  pro  quo  ;  we  shall 
get  nothing  out  of  life  unless  we  put  something  into  it. 

I.  Our  capital.  What  is  our  stock  in  trade  ?  What 
have  we  to  invest?  I  and  mine,  you  and  yours,  all 
that  we  are,  with  everything  that  we  possess,  must  be  put 
out  at  usury  if  we  would  hve  profitable  lives.  I  am  a 
tri-partite  being,  made  up  of  body,  intellect,  and  immor- 
tal soul,  and  all  these,  in  this  momentous  transaction, 
must  be  wisely  disposed  of. 

1.  The  body ;  a  bundle  of  physical  energies.  It  must 
be  kept  in  the  best  possible  condition  that  it  may  be  put 
to  the  best  uses.  Not  long  ago  I  saw  an  application  for  a 
parsonage  sent  in  by  one  of  our  rural  ministers  in  which 
he  said,  "  It  is  hard  to  make  full  proof  of  my  ministry  in 
such  a  place  as  this  ;  the  roof  leaks,  the  cellar  is  damp, 
and  the  flue  does  n't  draw.  It  takes  the  heart  all  out  of 
me."  No  tenant  can  do  much  under  these  conditions. 
The  body  was  intended  to  be  the  temple  of  divinity ;  it 
must  be  kept  in  good  order,  as  a  part  of  our  working 
capital,  if  we  would  derive  a  substantial  profit  from  it. 

2.  The  mind ;  endowed  with  regal  gifts.  Not  all  are 
equally  gifted,  but  in  the  distribution  of  his  talents  the 
Master  has  entrusted  "  to  every  man  according  to  his  sev- 
eral abiHty."  The  man  with  a  single  talent  is  as  for- 
tunate as  is  the  other  with  ten,  for  power  is  always  accom- 
panied by  commensurate  responsibility.  To  put  out  our 
talents  at  usury,  whether  they  be  few  or  many,  is  to  quit 
ourselves  like  men.     At  this  point  we  observe  a  lament- 


A   PROFITABLE   LIFE.  2// 

able  waste.  Was  ever  a  man  more  richly  endowed  than 
Lord  Byron?  yet  he  squandered  his  gifts,  and  died  at 
thirty-seven  lamenting, 

"  My  days  are  in  the  yellow  leaf, 

The  flowers  and  fruits  of  love  are  gone, 
The  worm,  the  canker,  and  the  grief 
Are  mine  alone." 

Was  ever  a  genius  more  highly  gifted  than  Edgar  Allen 
Poe  ?  Yet  he  also  wasted  his  substance,  and  died  in  the 
prime  of  his  manhood  lamenting, 

**  And  the  raven,  never  flitting,  still  is  sitting,  still  is  sitting 
On  the  pallid  bust  of  Pallas,  just  above  my  chamber  door  ; 
And  my  soul  from  out  that  shadow  that  lies  floating  on  the 
floor 

Shall  be  lifted — nevermore  T 

3.  The  immortal  soul.  Here  is  the  residence  of  our 
likeness  to  God.  It  is  in  the  use  of  our  spiritual  faculties 
that  we  commune  with  our  Creator  and  face  the  great 
problems  which  reach  out  into  the  eternal  ages.  When 
Lysimachus,  overcome  by  thirst,  had  bartered  his  king- 
dom for  a  cup  of  water,  he  cried  out,  "  Oh,  wretch  that  I 
am,  to  sell  my  glory  for  a  moment's  comfort !"  How  much 
more  foolish  is  the  man  who,  in  the  pursuit  of  things  that 
perish  with  the  using,  forfeits  his  higher  life.  No  problem 
was  ever  suggested  so  important  as  this  :  **  What  shall  it 
profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own 
soul?  Or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his 
soul?" 

4.  Our  time.  In  this  all  are  blest  alike,  for  each  has 
all  there  is  of  it.  How  easily  the  words  Tembus  fugit  fall 
from  the  schoolboy's  lips ;  yet,  what  a  tremendous  truth 
they  tell.  Time  flies !  Aye,  never  to  return.  We  turn 
the  hour-glass  over  and  its  sands  run  through  again,  but  a 


2/8  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE    FUTURE. 

wasted  hour  cannot  be  treated  in  that  way.  Lost  wealth 
may  be  reg-ained  by  patient  industry ;  lost  health  by  the 
use  of  proper  remedies  and  due  regard  to  nature's  laws  ; 
lost  reputation  by  penitence  and  right  living;  but  time 
lost  is  gone  for  ever.  In  vain  did  the  dying  Queen  of 
England  cry,  "  Millions  for  an  inch  of  time  !"  The  part 
of  wisdom  is  to  use  each  passing  hour  so  as  to  realize  the 
most  from  it. 

5.  Our  acquisitions.  If  we  have  wealth,  we  have  a 
burden  of  responsibility  with  it.  If  we  have  knowledge, 
that  "  is  power  "  ;  but  as  Adam  Smith  said,  "  Power,  to 
the  last  atom,  is  responsibility."  If  we  have  moral  con- 
victions, they  also  are  a  part  of  our  working  capital  and 
eternity  depends  on  their  wise  use.  All  men  have  moral 
convictions,  but  few  are  enriched  by  their  full  benefits. 
William  E.  Dodge  believed  in  God  and  immortaHty,  in 
the  holy  Sabbath,  and  in  the  duty  of  right  living.  When 
he  visited  Fortress  Monroe  in  company  with  President 
Lincoln  and  other  dignitaries  he  did  Hot  hesitate  at  the 
banquet  to  turn  down  his  glass.  He  withdrew  from  the 
Union  League  Club  when  it  became  the  customary  thing 
for  that  association  to  serve  intoxicating  drinks.  He  re- 
signed his  directorship  in  three  railways  because  they  ran 
Sunday  trains.  Other  men  have  like  convictions,  but  not 
many  are  so  scrupulous  in  their  loyalty  to  them. 

II.  This,  then,  is  our  capital :  ourselves,  with  our  time 
and  acquisitions.  Now,  then,  arises  the  question.  What 
shall  we  do  with  it  ?  or  How  shall  we  invest  it  ? 

I.  We  may  play  the  miser  with  it.  In  an  old  rookery 
in  Harlem  an  aged  man  was  recently  found  dead.  His 
Hfe  had  been  passed  in  poverty  and  rigid  abstinence ;  yet, 
when  his  home  was  searched,  money  was  found  in  every 
nook  and  cranny ;  beneath  his  mattress,  under  his  hearth, 


A   PROFITABLE   LIFE.  2f^ 

bank-notes,  bonds  and  mortgages,  gold  and  silver  coin  in 
abundance.  But  what  better  were  they  than  scraps  of 
paper  or  iron  pyrites?  He  had  been  no  happier  for 
them,  the  world  had  been  no  better  for  them. 

2.  We  may  use  our  capital  as  spendthrifts  do.  Let 
me  speak  in  a  familiar  parable :  A  well-dressed  youth  en- 
tered an  inn  and  made  merry  with  gamesters  and  revellers 
all  day.  At  evening,  having  paid  his  reckoning,  he  rose, 
and  calling  upon  his  comrades  to  follow  him  led  the  way 
to  the  river  which  flowed  near  by.  Meanwhile  he  had 
called  upon  the  musicians  to  play  their  merriest  while  he 
and  his  companions  sang  and  danced  down  to  the  water's 
edge.  He  waded  in,  emptying  his  purse  and  throwing  its 
contents  out  upon  the  shore.  They  thought  it  a  strange 
diversion  until  he  cried,  "  Good  night !"  and  plunged  be- 
neath the  water.  A  fool,  do  you  say  ?  Aye,  but  not 
more  a  fool  than  he  who  in  like  manner  spends  his  life. 
For  was  not  that  day's  folly  an  apologue  of  many  a  wasted 
life  ?  We  see  the  picture  all  the  better  for  getting  it  into 
the  focus  of  a  single  day. 

3.  We  may  use  our  capital  as  wise  and  faithful  stew- 
ards. For,  indeed,  we  are  not  our  own;  we  belong  to 
God  by  a  double  right — the  right  of  creation  and  the  right 
of  purchase  ;  for  ye  are  bought  with  a  price,  not  silver  and 
gold,  but  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus,  as  of  a  lamb  with- 
out blemish  and  without  spot.  Nor  are  our  time  and  our 
acquisitions  our  own,  but  merely  entrusted  to  us  for  wise 
investment.  And  if  wisely  invested  whose  are  the  divi- 
dends? I.  Our  own,  to  begin  with.  It  is  our  prime 
duty  to  make  the  most  of  ourselves.  All  that  we  are  and 
all  that  we  have  are  to  be  so  used  as  to  turn  to  our  own 
advantage  in  the  building  up  of  character  and  influence. 
It  is  thus  that  we  gain  a  hundred-fold  here,  and  in  the 


28o  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE    FUTURE. 

time  to  come  life  everlasting.  The  great  Edmund  Burke 
had  a  brother,  Richard,  who  was  a  ne'er-do-weel.  After 
one  of  his  wonderful  speeches  in  the  House  of  Commons 
an  auditor  said  to  this  brother,  "  How  is  it  that  Edmund 
seems  to  have  monopohzed  the  talents  of  the  family?" 
"Oh,"  he  said,  "while  we  were  going  hither  and  yon  he 
was  ever  at  work."  It  is  not  a  question  of  diversity  of 
gifts,  but  simply  of  right  use.  In  this  world  nobody  has 
a  right  to  be  nobody.  2.  The  dividends  of  our  good 
investment  accrue  to  others  also.  We  are  to  use  our- 
selves and  our  acquisitions  for  the  good  of  those  around 
us.  This  is  to  live  like  the  ideal  Man  of  whom  it  is  writ- 
ten, "  He  went  about  doing  good  ;"  and  there  is  abundant 
opportunity  for  this.  Of  all  the  multitude  with  whom  we 
mingle  there  is  not  one  who  has  not  his  burdens  and 
heartaches.  It  is  but  the  part  of  a  true  man  to  desire  to 
lighten  these  burdens  and  to  sweeten  the  lives  of  all. 
Sidney  Smith  said,  "  I  have  been  making  a  calculation : 
if  I  make  one  person  happy  every  day  for  ten  years,  I 
shall  have  made  three  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons happy ;  that  is,  I  shall  have  brightened  a  small  town 
by  my  contribution  to  the  fund  of  general  joy."  3.  The 
supreme  and  ultimate  glory  of  a  wise  investment  of  our- 
selves and  our  possessions  is  God's.  "  The  chief  end  of  man 
is  to  glorify  God."  He  is  the  owner  of  the  talents,  and 
they  are  to  be  invested  for  him.  To  question  this  fact  is 
to  form  an  inadequate  conception  of  the  purpose  of  life. 
The  consummation  of  right  living  is  reached  when  we  can 
come  to  our  Master,  saying,  "Lord,  here  is  thy  pound  ;  it 
hath  gained  thee  yet  another  pound."  And  the  full  fru- 
ition of  life  is  reached  when  we  hear  him  say,  "  Well  done, 
good  servant !  Thou  hast  been  faithful  in  a  few  things,  I 
will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things." 


A   PROFITABLE   LIFE.  281 

Have  we  been  forgetting  God  ?  Have  we  been  leav- 
ing him  out  of  the  reckoning  ?  This  would  be  a  dismal 
mistake,  and  fraught  with  infinite  and  eternal  failure. 
When  the  Earl  of  Rochester  had  reached  the  end  of  his 
unscrupulous  life  he  cried,  '*  Oh,  would  that  I  had  been 
a  blind  beggar  or  a  leper  rather  than  to  have  lived  in  the 
midst  of  glorious  possibiHties  and  forgotten  God  !"  Here 
is  the  beginning  and  end  of  all — God  !  In  the  picture  of 
the  creation  of  man  on  the  ceiling  of  the  Sistine  Chapel 
the  man  is  represented  as  lying  upon  a  mossy  mound 
reaching  up  his  hand  towards  another  stretched  down 
from  heaven,  and  from  the  hand  of  the  Creator  an  electric 
spark  is  passing  into  him.  The  beginning  of  life  is  in- 
deed to  be  thrilled  through  by  the  life  of  God  ;  and  this  is 
the  beginning  of  spiritual  quickening.  .This  is  life  eter- 
nal, to  know  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  has  sent: 
to  become  partaker  of  his  sublime  purpose  in  the  better- 
ment of  the  race ;  to  enter  into  his  great  hopes  and  aspi- 
rations ;     to  live  for  him  ! 


282  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE    FUTURE. 


WHO  IS  THIS  THAT  COMETH  FROM 
EDOM?    • 


"  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from 
Bozrah  ?  this  that  is  glorious  in  his  apparel,  travelling  in  tlie 
greatness  of  his  strength?  I  that  speak  in  righteousness, 
mighty  to  save."     Isa.  63:  i. 

The  Israelites  were  compassed  about  by  enemies  :  the 
Syrians  on  the  north,  the  Philistines  along  the  maritime 
plain,  the  Edomites  on  the  south,  were  a  constant  menace 
to  their  peace ;  but  the  Edomites  were  their  most  trouble- 
some foes.  The  old  feud  between  Jacob  and  Esau  had 
passed  on  from  generation  to  generation  with  unabated 
force.  It  was  the  Edomites  who  most  vigorously  opposed 
the  entrance  into  Canaan.  It  was  the  Edomites  who,  by 
their  alHance  with  Babylon,  ultimately  effected  the  exile. 
Herod,  who.  ordered  the  slaughter  of  the  innocents,  and 
Herod  Antipas,  who  was  coparcener  in  the  murder  of  the 
Messiah,  were  both  Idumeans.  The  greatness  of  this 
people  is  certified  at  this  day  by  thirty  ruined  towns  with- 
in three  days'  journey  of  the  Dead  Sea.  They  were 
Israel's  nearest  foe,  ever  hovering  on  their  borders.  A 
Jew  wandering  into  their  territory  was  certain  to  be  cap- 
tured. The  flocks  and  herds  of  Israel  were  their  com- 
mon prey.  The  harvest  and  the  vintage  v/ere  seasons  of 
special  danger  from  this  quarter.  Indeed,  there  was 
scarcely  an  hour  when  Israel  felt  secure.  Their  land  had 
been  desolated  until  it  was  like  a  lodge  in  a  garden  of 
cucumbers. 

The  prophet,  looking  down  one  of  the  gorges  towards 


WHO  IS  THIS  THAT  COMETH  FROM  EDOM  ?   283 

the  Dead  Sea,  saw  an  heroic  figure  drawing  near  upon  the 
heights.  He  was  glorious  in  apparel,  travelling  in  the 
greatness  of  his  strength.  As  he  drew  nearer  it  was 
seen  that  his  garments  were  red  with  blood,  as  of  one 
treading  the  wine-fat.  "  Who  is  this,"  cried  the  prophet, 
"that  Cometh  from  Edom  with  garments  dyed  in  blood?" 
An  important  question  for  us,  as  for  Israel  in  the  olden 
time.  Who  is  this  Mighty  One  whose  figure  was  pro- 
jected upon  the  foreground  of  history  so  long  ago?  Our 
sins  dwell,  like  the  Edomites,  upon  our  border.  They 
lay  gins  and  snares  for  our  wandering  feet ;  they  fall  upon 
us  in  our  unwary  hours  :  once  over  the  border  we  are 
lost.  Who  shall  deliver  us  from  our  nearest  foe  ?  The 
Mighty  One  draws  near  upon  the  heights  for  us  ;  he  has 
gone  over  into  the  land  of  Edom,  the  country  of  our  sins. 
For  us  he  has  trodden  the  wine-press.  This  is  our  cham- 
pion and  defender  returning  from  his  strife  with  the  adver- 
sary.    This  is  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God. 

I.  He  is  our  avenger ;  his  garments  are  stained  with 
the  blood  of  his  enemies  and  ours.  "  I  looked,"  he  says, 
"and  there  was  none  to  help  and  I  wondered  that  there 
was  none  to  uphold ;  therefore  my  own  arm  brought  sal- 
vation unto  me,  and  my  fury  it  upheld  me." 

I.  Observe,  there  is  fury  in  this  triumphant  Son  of 
God.  His  name  is  Love?  Aye.  But  he  has  also 
another  name :  A  consuming  fire.  Indeed,  the  capability 
of  love  involves  the  capacity  for  wrath.  The  man  who  is 
so  complacent  in  love  and  tenderness  as  that  he  can  feel 
in  his  inmost  heart  no  fiery  wrath  against  crime  and 
injustice  is  but  a  poor  semblance  of  a  true  man.  In  like 
manner  the  God  who,  loving  the  things  that  are  pure  and 
lovely  and  of  good  report,  should  not  hate  the  converse, 
would  not  be  worthy  of  our  adoration.     Nor  is  this  "  an 


2^4  THE    RELIGION    OF   THE    FUTURE. 

Old  Testament  conception."  The  God  of  the  Old  Econ- 
omy is  also  the  God  of  the  New;  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day  and  for  ever,  with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither 
shadow  of  turning.  The  indignation  that  flamed  forth  in 
the  imprecatory  Psalms  against  the  powers  of  darkness 
is  the  same  that  flashed  from  the  pure  lips  of  Jesus  when 
he  denounced  hypocrisy,  crying,  "  How  shall  ye  escape 
the  damnation  of  hell !"  We  stand  under  the  opening  of 
the  sixth  seal  of  the  apocalypse,  and  lo  !  the  sun  becomes 
black  as  sackcloth  of  hair,  and  the  moon  is  as  blood ;  the 
stars  of  heaven  fall  to  the  earth  as  a  fig-tree  casteth 
her  untimely  figs  when  shaken  before  the  wind;  the 
heavens  are  rolled  together  as  a  parched  scroll ;  and  the 
earth  rumbles  under  our  feet ;  then  kings  and  potentates, 
rich  and  mighty,  masters  and  bondmen,  hide  themselves 
in  sudden  panic,  crying  to  the  mountains  and  the  rocks, 
"  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him  who  sitteth 
on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb  P''  Aye; 
from  the  wrath  of  that  merciful  One,  the  meek  and  lowly. 
Jesus,  the  Lamb  of  God. 

2.  Observe,  this  fury  is  against  sin.  In  all  the  universe 
this  is  the  only  thing  that  God  hates,  and  he  hates  it  with 
an  implacable  fury.  Why  not  ?  What  has  sin  wrought 
upon  the  earth?  If  a  malicious  vandal  had  entered  the 
workshop  of  the  sculptor  Phidias  and  broken  into  frag- 
ments his  master-piece,  the  beautiful  Apollo,  would  he 
have  witnessed  it  with  complacency,  think  you  ?  Sin  has 
ruined  God's  master-piece.  It  has  discrowned  man ;  it 
has  blinded  him  to  the  beauty  of  all  spiritual  things ;  it 
has  corrupted  his  heart,  perverted  his  conscience,  enfee- 
bled his  intellect,  and  paralyzed  his  will ;  it  has  placed 
the  poisoned  chalice  at  his  lips  crying,  *'  Drink  and  die !" 
If  God  is  indeed  our  Father,  why  should  he  not  hate  sin  ? 


WHO  IS  THIS  THAT  COMETH  FROM    EDOM  ?   285 

And  why  should  he  not. go  over  into  the  land  of  Edom  to 
avenge  the  wrong  which  it  has  inflicted  upon  us  ?  Here 
is  the  rationale  of  the  Incarnation :  it  is  God  in  the  per- 
son of  Jesus  Christ  going  over  into  the  territory  of  the 
enemy  to  champion  our  cause. 

3.  For,  observe,  this  manifestation  of  fury  against  sin 
is  wholly  in  our  behalf.  The  English  were  shut  up  in 
Lucknow;  men,  women  and  children  were  famishing 
there.  The  enemy,  unspeakably  cruel  and  implacable, 
had  besieged  the  city.  Off  yonder  on  the  heights  was 
heard  the  shrill  sound  of  the  bagpipes.  Havelock  with 
his  brave  Scotchmen  was  coming  to  the  rescue ;  but,  alas ! 
between  Lucknow  and  those  hills  were  the  Sepoys.  What 
shall  become  of  the  Sepoys  ?  The  rescuers  draw  near, 
their  swords  flash,  their  guns  belch  forth  death,  and  the 
road  from  those  hills  to  the  beleagured  city  is  covered 
with  the  slain.  Thus  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God 
comes  to  deHver  us,  but  deliverance  is  not  possible  except 
by  the  overthrow  of  Edom.  Thus  it  comes  about  that 
his  garments  are  stained  with  blood. 

"  The  wine-press  !    The  wine-press  !    The  voice  is  from  God  ; 
The  floor  of  his  fury  is  now  to  be  trod, 
The  sins  of  all  nations  are  full  to  o'erflowing 
And  the  blast  of  th'  avenger  from  heaven  is  blowing; 
In  the  red  robe  of  scourging  triumphant  he  stands, 
And  blots  out  our  sentence  with  blood  in  his  hands  /'  * 

II.  Thus  the  avenger  comes  as  our  Saviour.  He 
avenges  that  he  may  save.  God  so  hated  sin  that  he 
sent  his  only-begotten  Son  to  deliver  us  from  the  shame 
and  bondage  of  it ;  as  it  is  written,  "  His  name  shall  be 
called  Jesus,  because  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their 
sins." 

1.  As  he  draws  near  upon  the  heights  of  Edom  he  is 


286  THE    RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

alone ;  he  trod  the  wine-press  alone  and  there  was  none 
with  him.  In  Oriental  lands  the  vintage  is  the  occasion 
of  great  rejoicing.  From  near  and  far  the  neighbors 
come,  and  encourage  one  another  by  shouting  and  sing- 
ing while  treading  out  the  grapes.  Not  so,  however,  in 
the  vintage  of  redemption ;  our  Saviour  trod  it  alone. 
As  he  entered  the  shadows  of  the  olive  grove  he  said  to 
his  disciples,  **  Tarry  ye  here,  while  I  go  yonder ;"  and 
there  was  none  with  him  when  he  put  the  purple  cup  of 
death  to  his  lips.  As  he  entered  the  judgment-hall  they 
all  forsook  him  and  fled.  At  Calvary  he  was  so  utterly 
alone  that  he  must  needs  cry,  '*  My  God !  my  God !  why 
hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?"  The  work  was  wholly  his,  in- 
somuch that  any  sinner  who  shall  receive  the  benefit  of 
his  redemption  must  give  him  the  sole  glory,  saying, 
"  Not  unto  us,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name !" 

2.  He  cometh  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength.  The 
stress  of  the  mighty  conflict  in  Edom  has  not  wearied  him. 
A  few  days  ago  we  witnessed  a  procession  of  veterans 
of  our  Civil  War.  How  few  among  them  had  returned 
scathless  from  the  high  places  of  the  field !  There  were 
many  who  limped  as  they  passed  by;  there  were  many 
who  bore  the  scars  of  battle;  there  was  scarcely  one 
who  walked  in  the  fulness  of  his  strength.  But  the  strife 
of  Calvary  has  not  impaired  the  omnipotence  of  God's 
well-beloved  Son.  He  is  the  mighty  to  save.  His  step 
is  firm,  his  arm  is  strong,  the  dew  of  his  youth  is  upon 
him. 

3.  He  speaks  in  righteousness.  In  delivering  us 
from  Edom  he  has  violated  no  principle  of  justice  or 
equity.  The  great  problem  was.  How  shall  God  be 
just  and  yet  the  justifier  of  the  ungodly  ?  He  solved 
it  by  taking  our  place  before  the  offended  law ;  he  paid 


WHO  IS  THIS  THAT  COMETH  FROM    EDOM  ?   287 

the  ransom ;  he  expiated  our  offences  :  "  He  was  wounded 
for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities, 
and  by  his  stripes  we  are  healed." 

But  "  how  can  the  innocent  suffer  for  the  guilty  ?"  (i) 
It  is  done  every  day.  The  suffering  of  the  innocent  for 
the  guilty  is  the  commonest  thing  about  us.  Kings  suffer 
for  their  subjects,  parents  for  their  children ;  we  are  all 
suffering  for  others'  sins.  (2)  It  is  a  recognized  principle 
in  Common  Law,  else  why  should  I  be  taxed  for  the 
maintenance  of  prisons  and  reformatories?  (3)  And 
who  indeed  has  the  right  to  object  to  this  arrangement  ? 
There  are  three  parties  to  the  covenant  of  grace :  the 
Father,  who  is  willing  to  send  forth  his  Son  to  suffering 
and  death  in  the  sinner's  behalf;  the  Son,  who  is  willing 
to  go,  saying,  "  Here  am  I,  send  me  ;"  and  the  sinner, 
"  the  party  of  the  third  part :"  it  remains  only  for  him  to 
give  his  assent  by  accepting  the  plan,  and  then  who  is 
there  in  all  the  universe  who  shall  have  the  right  to  ob- 
ject to  it  ? 

4.  He  comes  in  glorious  apparel.  His  blood-stained 
garments,  as  he  draws  nearer,  are  seen  to  be  royal  pur- 
ple. In  championing  the  cause  of  a  sinful  race  he  has 
established  his  right  to  rule  over  them.  The  crowning 
day  is  coming.  The  earth  shall  yet  be  filled  with  the 
acclamations  of  heaven  :  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and 
strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing."  We  our- 
selves shall  join  in  praising  him  who,  glorious  with  the 
victory  wrought  in  the  land  of  Edom,  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  high  and  lifted  up,  saying,  "  Unto  him  that  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and 
hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father ; 
to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and  ever." 


288  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

In  this  prophetic  vision  of  the  Redeemer  we  have  out- 
Hned  the  only  plan  which  has  ever  been  proposed  for  the 
deliverance  of  the  human  race.  There  is  none  other 
name  under  heaven  given  among-  men  whereby  we  must 
be  saved  ;  the  Mighty  One  appeals  to  us  in  our  own  be- 
half, offering  the  full  benefits  of  the  vintage  for  naught. 

At  the  burning  of  the  Newhall  House,  in  Milwaukee, 
a  young  man  of  my  congregation  was  awakened  from  his 
sleep  on  one  of  the  upper  floors  to  find  every  avenue  of 
escape  cut  off.  He  climbed  to  the  window  ledge,  and 
holding  by  the  sash  looked  down  and  called  for  help ; 
but  the  ladders  were  too  short.  There  was  not  a  fire- 
man, there  was  not  a  soul  in  the  multitude  that  thronged 
the  streets  who  was  not  moved  with  the  utmost  desire 
to  help,  but  no  help  was  possible.  At  length  he  hung 
from  the  ledge  by  his  finger  tips ;  hung  for  a  little  while, 
then  dropped,  while  those  below  covered  their  eyes,  and 
all  was  over.  Not  less  desperate  than  his  condition  when 
hanging  from  that  ledge  is  the  state  of  the  sinner  outside 
of  the  plan  of  salvation,  but  Jesus  is  mighty  to  save;  able 
to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  will  believe  in  him. 
The  ladder  of  his  love  is  long  enough  to  reach  from  be- 
neath ;  the  arm  of  his  omnipotence  is  mighty  enough  to 
reach  down  from  above ;  his  promise  is  "  Yea "  and 
"  Amen."  Why  then  shall  any  be  lost  ?  His  sacrifice  is 
sufficient  to  cover  all  the  record  of  the  misspent  past. 
His  hands  are  stretched  out  still.  This  is  a  faithful_say- 
ing,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  he  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners  ;  and  this  also  is  a  faithful  say- 
ing, He  that  believeth  on  Jesus,  the  only  begotten  Son 
of  God,  hath  everlasting  life. 


JONAH   AT   NINEVEH.  289 


JONAH  AT  NINEVEH. 


"  And  Jonah  began  to  enter  into  the  city  a  day's  journey,  and  he 
cried,  and  said,  Yet  forty  days,  and  Nineveh  shall  be  over- 
thrown."   Jonah  3:4. 

A  SOLITARY  traveller,  of  serious  countenance,  clad  in 
a  sheep-skin  mantle  bound  with  a  hempen  girdle  about 
the  loins,  is  pursuing  his  way  from  Palestine  towards  the 
northeast.  He  crosses  the  Jordan  and  climbs  the  heights 
beyond ;  then  onward  past  the  gates  of  old  Damascus ; 
onward  through  many  weary  days  until,  to  his  backward 
gaze,  the  peaks  of  anti-Lebanon  have  faded  into  the  blue 
distance;  then  across  the  Euphrates,  and  still  onward. 
The  roads  are  broader  now ;  there  are  signs  of  increased 
wealth  and  luxury;  the  weary  traveller  passes  many  a 
chariot  and  loaded  wain,  until  at  last  he  comes  within 
sight  of  great  Nineveh.  Yonder  are  its  walls — sixty  miles 
in  circumference,  a  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  broad 
enough  for  three  chariots  to  go  abreast.  He  sees  the 
glowing  pinnacles  of  the  temples  of  Bel  and  Nebo ;  ban- 
ners are  waving  from  a  hundred  towers ;  the  broad  roads 
are  Hned  on  each  side  with  winged  Uons  leading  to  the 
gates. 

As  the  prophet  draws  near  he  stands  still,  overwhelmed 
with  a  feeling  of  reluctance.  It  is  not  fear ;  his  sense  of 
duty  is  strong  enough  to  overcome  all  that.  But  he  goes 
to  preach  repentance  and  pardon  to  the  Ninevites.  Is  it 
strange  that  he  is  loth  to  enter  yonder  gate  ?  He  has 
been  accustomed  to  think  of  Israel  as  God's  chosen  peo- 

Beligiou  of  the  Futu-e.  I Q 


290  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE  FUTURE. 

pie,  and  of  these  Ninevites  as  dogs  of  Gentiles.  More- 
over, they  have  been  from  time  immemorial  the  foes  of 
Israel.  His  own  home  at  Gath-hepher  had  been  spoiled 
by  these  invaders.  He  hated  them.  He  had  gladly  heard 
the  prophet  Joel  say  that  they  should  be  "  trodden  in  the 
wine-press  of  the  wrath  of  God."  But  now  he  must  enter 
and  preach  mercy  to  them.  He  had  refused  the  commis- 
sion at  first ;  but  after  the  discipline  of  many  sorrows  the 
Voice  had  spoken  again :  "  Go  unto  Nineveh,  that  great 
city,  and  preach  the  preaching  which  I  shall  bid  thee." 
He  would  fain  escape  from  his  task,  but  duty  constrains 
him.  He  enters  the  great  gate  and  straightway  lifts  his 
voice :  '*  Yet  forty  days,  yet  forty  days,  and  Nineveh 
shall  be  destroyed !"  All  day  long,  up  and  down  the 
streets,  in  the  shadow  of  the  temples,  before  the  palace 
door,  "  Yet  forty  days,  yet  forty  days,  and  Nineveh  shall 
be  destroyed !"  The  people  look  out  of  their  doorways 
and  hearken  to  the  weird  cry ;  nobles  stop  their  chariots 
and  gaze  with  wonder  :  "  Yet  forty  days,  yet  forty  days, 
and  Nineveh  shall  be  destroyed  !" 

Observe,  with  refer eyice  to  this  sermon,  (i)  its  brevity. 
Here  are  only  eight  words:  only  five  in  the  original. 
There  is  no  exordium  nor  peroration  ;  there  are  no  prac- 
tical reflections.  This  is  a  sermon  constructed  after  Lu- 
ther's rule :  **  Stand  up  cheerfully,  speak  up  manfully, 
leave  off  speedily."  It  is  possible,  however,  to  say  a 
great  deal  in  small  compass.  Homer's  IHad  was  once 
written  in  a  nutshell.  When  Caesar  reported  to  Amintius 
his  own  campaign  of  conquest  it  was  in  three  words  : 
'^Veni,  vidi,  vici  f  Just  before  the  fall  of  Richmond  a 
telegram  was  received  from  Gen.  Sheridan  concluding 
thus :  "  If  the  thing  is  pressed  I  beheve  Lee  will  sur- 
render ;"    to    which    the    President   replied,    "  Let   it    be 


JONAH   AT   NINEVEH.  29 1 

pressed."      Brevity   is   the  soul   of  wisdom   as  it   is  the 
soul  of  wit. 

2.  Observe  its  perfect  frankness.  The  Lord  had  said 
to  Jonah,  "  Go  preach  the  preaching  that  I  shall  bid  thee." 
He  had  no  alternative.  The  doom  had  been  passed  upon 
that  great  city,  and  it  was  his  business  to  admonish  the 
people.  The  minister  of  the  gospel  in  these  days  is  under 
equally  explicit  orders.  He  is  enjoined  to  declare  the 
exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin  :  to  show  that  death  comes 
following  after ;  to  declare  the  glad  tidings  that  God  has 
been  pleased  to  make  atonement  for  our  sins ;  and  to 
state  with  perfect  clearness  that  the  only  hope  and  dehv- 
erance  is  in  accepting  the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  it  is 
written,  "  There  is  none  other  name  under  heaven,  given 
among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved."  This  is  the 
message,  and  the  minister  who  refuses  to  dehver  it  in  un- 
mistakable terms  is  false  to  his  divine  commission.  "  Thus 
saith  the  Lord,  If  I  say  unto  the  wicked.  Thou  shalt  surely 
die,  and  thou  givest  him  not  warning,  he  shall  die  in  his 
sins,  but  his  blood  shall  I  require  at  thy  hand."  It  is  so 
easy  to  preach  smooth  things,  and  the  downright  truth 
is  so  old-fashioned,  and  the  people  have  itching  ears,  and 
the  "  larger  hope "  is  so  popular !  No  matter ;  the 
preacher  must  be  an  honest  man,  and  to  be  an  honest 
man  he  must  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God. 

3.  Mark  its  directness.  Jonah  mentioned  no  names, 
yet  every  arrow  in  his  quiver  reached  its  mark.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  should  be 
offensively  personal.  Such  is  its  adaptation  to  the  uni- 
versal want  of  the  race  that  no  man  can  hear  it  faithfully 
proclaimed  without  saying,  "  That  means  me."  Paul  in 
the  judgment-hall  at  Csesarea  reasoned  of  righteousness 
and  temperance  and  judgment  to  come.     Felix  sat  yon- 


292  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

der  with  his  paramour,  Drusilla,  beside  him,  and  hearing 
the  apostle  set  forth  those  tremendous  truths  he  trem- 
bled, because  he  knew  that  in  them  judgment  was  pro- 
nounced against  him.  Sermo  means  a  thrust.  The  people 
of  Nineveh,  hearing  that  their  city  was  to  be  destroyed, 
must  all  with  one  accord  have  begun  to  ask  within  them- 
selves, "What,  then,  will  become  of  me?"  This  is  the 
divine  glory  of  the  gospel.  Its  truths  are  of  the  most  sol- 
emn importance  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men.  It 
was  this  fact  that  moved  Coleridge  to  say,  "  I  believe  that 
the  Bible  is  inspired  because  itfirids  me.^^ 

4.  This  sermon  was  dogmatic.  We  are  blamed  for 
dogmatizing  in  these  days.  But  what  else  can  we  do? 
Our  opinions  in  the  pulpit  are  not  of  vital  consequence ; 
you  must  needs  put  them  to  the  test,  and  receive  or 
reject  them  upon  their  merits.  But  when  we  declare  the 
divine  message  it  must  ever  be  "yea"  and  "amen." 
The  introduction  of  doubtful  phrases  into  the  great  truths 
robs  them  of  all  vital  power ;  as  if  it  were  written.  The 
soul  that  sinneth  it  may  die  ;  or,  God  so  loved  the  world 
that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  him  need  not  necessarily  perish  but  m^^y  possi- 
bly have  eternal  life ;  or,  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden,  2SiA perhaps  I  will  give  you  rest;  or. 
Ask,  and  peradventure  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and  ye  may 
find;  knock,  and  mayhap  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you. 
Could  we  find  life  and  immortality  in  a  gospel  set  forth  in 
such  hypothetical  phrases  ?  Blessed  be  God,  his  word  is 
"  Verily,  verily."  Here  are  no  "  ifs  "  or  "  perhapses."  It 
has  been  truly  said  that  an  "if"  in  the  proclamation  of 
heavenly  mercy  would  be  as  disastrous  as  a  charge  of 
dynamite  under  the  Rock  of  Ages. 

We  turn  now  to  the  result  of  Jonah's  preaching.    A 


JONAH   AT   NINEVEH.  293 

sure  promise  attaches  to  the  faithful  preaching  of  the 
word :  as  it  is  written :  "  My  word  shall  not  return  unto 
me  void,"  saith  the  Lord,  "but  shall  accomplish  that 
which  I  please  and  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it." 
Observe  (i)  that  the  Ninevites  "  believed  God.''  There 
was  that  in  the  prophet's  voice,  his  visage,  his  impressive 
manner,  which  convinced  them  that  his  admonition  was 
from  above.  Too  often  we  hear  a  divine  message  as  if 
the  messenger  were  speaking  for  effect.  Thus  the  people 
said  of  the  preaching  of  Ezekiel,  "  Doth  he  not  speak  in 
parables  ?"  And  thus  the  message  of  Christ  himself  was 
received  by  multitudes  of  those  who  heard  him.  The 
awful  pictures  which  he  drew  of  the  doom  which  shall 
ultimately  overtake  the    impenitent  are  as  true  as  ever. 

"  There  is  a  death  whose  pang 
Outlasts  this  fleeting  breath  : 
Oh,  what  eternal  horrors  hang 
Around  the  second  death  !" 

It  is  as  a  fire  that  shall  never  be  quenched  ;  it  is  as  the 
gnawing  of  a  worm  that  never  dies  ;  it  is  as  an  outer  dark- 
ness without  one  gleam  of  hope  for  ever.  When  Jesus  ut- 
tered these  terrific  truths,  was  he  simply  working  on  the 
people's  fears  ?  Was  he  trying  to  scare  them  ?  Oh,  no ;  the 
words  were  laden  with  tremendous  sincerity.  And  when 
Jonah  declared  the  doom  that  had  passed  upon  Nineveh 
it  was  meet  that  the  people  should  believe  him,  because 
he  spoke  as  an  ambassador  of  God.  In  Hke  manner  we, 
knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord,  persuade  men,  and  it  is 
the  part  of  wisdom  to  believe  that  the  message  is  true. 
"  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish." 

2.  They  proclaimed  a  fast :  i.  e.,  they  repented,  and 
confessed  their  sin.  The  king  put  on  sackcloth,  the  whole 
city  was  draped  in  mourning,  the  people  cast  dust  and 


294  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

ashes  upon  their  heads,  the  very  horses  wore  trappings  of 
woe.  The  warning  of  the  prophet  had  touched  the  hearts 
of  all.  No  man  was  inclined  to  disguise  his  sorrow  from 
his  neighbor.  We  also  are  sinners  and  under  Hke  con- 
demnation. Open  confession  is  good  for  the  soul :  **  If 
we  confess  our  sin,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our 
sin  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness." 

3.  They  tuvjied  every  one  from  his  evil  way.  The 
evil  way  of  Nineveh  was  idolatry:  they  had  forgotten 
the  true  God  and  bowed  before  images.  Now  they  turned 
from  their  idols  to  Jehovah,  and  they  turned  also  "  from  the 
violence  of  their  hands."  This  people  was  prone  to  vio- 
lence, to  predatory  excursion  and  war  upon  their  neigh- 
bors. Now  they  hung  up  their  swords  and  made  war  no 
more.  Let  it  ever  be  remembered  that  repentance  is  not 
mere  sorrow  for  sin,  but  also  a  turning  from  it.  It  is  said 
that  the  Itahan  bandits  come  down  from  their  mountain 
retreats  at  certain  periods  and  visit  the  shrines  in  the  vil- 
lage streets.  They  lay  heaps  of  coin  and  necklaces  of 
pearls,  taken  by  violence  from  defenceless  travellers,  be- 
fore the  image  of  the  Holy  Virgin ;  and  having  thus  paid 
tribute  to  their  innate  sense  of  retribution,  they  climb  the 
mountains  again  and  resume  their  evil  ways.  But  true 
repentance  means  to  give  up  sin.  This  is  the  sorrow 
that  needeth  not  to  be  repented  of.  If  we  believe  in 
God's  oft-repeated  warnings  and  admonitions,  let  us  bring 
forth  fruits  meet  for  repentance :  let  us  give  up  lying,  dis- 
honesty, covetousness,  evil-speaking,  selfishness,  and  what- 
soever else  is  offensive  to  the  Holy  One. 

4.  They  cast  themselves  on  the  divine  mercy,  saying, 
"Who  can  tell  if  God  will  turn  and  repent,  and  turn 
away  from  his  fierce  anger,  that  we  perish  not?"  In 
Jonah's  message  there  was  not  a  suggestion  of  mercy. 


JONAH   AT   NINEVEH.  295 

But  they  reasoned  thus :  "  God  would  not  have  sent 
this  man  to  admonish  us,  and  to  proclaim  a  forty  days' 
shrift,  had  he  not  meant  to  avert  the  evil.  There  is, 
then,  a  possibility  that  if  we  turn  from  our  iniquities 
he  will  pardon  and  save  us."  So  there  was  hope  in 
their  sorrow ;  and  hope  marks  the  difference  between 
repentance  and  mere  remorse. 

At  the  door  of  the  hall  Gazith  the  traitor  hurled  his 
thirty  pieces  of  silver  upon  the  marble  floor  with  the 
cry,  *'  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood !"  and  rushed  forth 
to  hang  himself  above  the  vale  of  Hinnom.  This  was 
remorse. 

From  the  judgment-hall  where  Peter  denied  his  Lord 
he  went  forth  to  weep  bitterly  ;  and  cherishing  the  m.emo- 
ry  of  his  Lord's  reproachful  look  he  plucked  up  cour- 
age and  returned  to  his  first  love.  That  was  repent- 
ance. 

There  is  forgiveness  with  God.  His  warnings  are  to 
the  end  that  we  may  repent.  Look  up,  O  stricken  sinner  ! 
to  our  God,  who  sitteth  upon  his  throne  of  mercy.  Look 
up !  is  the  word  of  the  captain  to  his  son  who  reels  at  the 
top-mast.  Look  up !  is  the  cry  of  the  Alpine  climber. 
To  look  down  is  to  be  overwhelmed  with  despair.  Look 
up !  away  from  self,  away  from  the  discouraging  environ- 
ment of  temptation,  away  from  the  gloomy  remembrance 
of  past  transgressions,  up  to  where  Christ  standeth  at  the 
right  hand  of  God  to  make  intercession  for  us. 

And  what  was  the  outcome  of  all  this  ?  The  Ninevites 
were  spared.  God  repented  of  the  evil  that  he  pur- 
posed to  do  unto  them,  and  he  did  it  not.  A  strange  ex- 
pression this.  How  can  God  repent  ?  Is  he  not  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day  and  for  ever?  Yes;  but  not  with  the 
stolid  unchangeableness  of  a  stone  idol ;  /.  e.,  no  eyes  to 


296  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE    FUTURE. 

see,  no  heart  to  pity,  no  arms  to  reach  forth  towards  the 
sorrowing.  God's  turning  is  a  part  of  his  eternal  purpose; 
he  always  intended  to  save  the  Ninevites  when  they 
should  forsake  their  sins.  It  looks  like  repentance  on  his 
part,  but  the  narrator  speaks  after  the  manner  of  a  man.  I 
look  from  the  window  of  a  boat  on  the  river  and  it  seems 
to  me  as  if  the  shore  were  moving;  it  is  I,  however,  who 
am  moving,  while  the  shore  stands  still.  Thus  God  seems 
to  repent  when  the  sinner  repents  and  turns  to  righteous- 
ness. He  is  ever  ready  thus  to  bestow  his  pardoning 
grace  on  those  who  call  upon  him. 

"  Depth  of  mercy,  can  there  be 

Mercy  still  reserved  for  me? 

Can  my  God  his  wrath  forbear  ? 

Me,  the  chief  of  sinners,  spare  ? 
*        ■jf        *        *        *        * 

"  There  for  me  the  Saviour  stands, 
Shows  his  wounds  and  spreads  his  hands ; 
God  is  love  :    I  know,  I  feel ; 
Jesus  lives,  and  loves  me  still." 


THE  NINEVITES   IN   JUDGMENT.  297 


THE  NINEVITES  IN  JUDGMENT. 


"  The  men  of  Nineveh  shall  rise  in  judgment  with  this  generation, 
and  shall  condemn  it:  because  they  repented  at  the  preaching 
of  Jonas ;  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonas  is  here."  Matt. 
12:41. 

A  SHORT  sermon  with  a  long  sequel.  Nearly  a  thou- 
sand years  have  passed  since  Jonah  cried  through  the 
streets  of  Nineveh,  "  Yet  forty  days,  yet  forty  days,  and 
Nineveh  shall  be  destroyed  !"  and,  lo,  the  echoes  of  that 
sermon  are  lingering  still  ! 

A  word  is  an  immortal  thing.  It  is  said  that  in  twenty 
hours  from  its  utterance  the  vibrations  of  sound  have 
reached  the  entire  volume  of  the  atmosphere ;  thus  our 
world,  with  its  airy  envelope,  is  a  great  whispering-gallery. 
Vows,  prayers,  songs  of  praise,  the  mutterings  of  idiocy, 
curses  and  blessings,  Ebal  and  Gerizim,  the  wail  of  the 
processions  that  bore  the  Pharaohs  to  their  tombs,  the 
shouts  of  the  triumphal  procession  of  Titus  bearing  the 
golden  candlestick  of  the  Temple  through  the  streets  of 
Rome,  all  linger  for  ever. 

In  the  company  of  those  who  listened  to  the  preaching 
of  Jesus  were  many  captious  scribes  and  Pharisees  who 
ever  clamored  for  a  sign.  He  would  not  humor  them. 
He  is  ever  ready  to  answer  a  serious  question,  but  makes 
no  contribution  to  mere  curiosity.  They  were  an  evil  and 
adulterous  generation,  he  said,  and  they  should  have  no 
sign  beyond  what  was  already  given  ;  to  wit,'  the  sign  of 
the  prophet  Jonah.     The  story  of  the  old  prophet,  his 


298  THE   RELIGION    OF   THE   FUTURE. 

three  days  in  darkness  and  his  marvellous  deliverance, 
had  been  given  them  as  a  foregleam  of  a  glorious  truth 
yet  to  be  revealed.  The  miracle  of  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus  was  the  key-stone  of  the  gospel  arch.  Three  days 
in  the  belly  of  hell,  and  then  life  and  immortahty  brought 
to  light.  On  this  our  Lord  based  the  truth  of  his  divine 
character  and  ministry.  If  they  would  not  believe  their 
Scriptures  neither  would  they  believe  though  one  rose 
from  the  dead.  They  had  abundant  proof;  they  had 
lived  in  the  very  atmosphere  of  prophecy,  they  had  the 
oracles,  and  angel  voices  had  spoken  to  them.  Oh,  the 
responsibility  of  privilege  !  The  men  of  Nineveh,  to 
whom  Jonah  had  preached  his  simple  sermon,  had  be- 
lieved and  turned  from  their  sins  ;  but  these  cavilling 
Jews,  ever  clamoring  for  a  sign,  were  absolutely  hardened 
against  the  truth.  Their  wasted  privileges  would  be  their 
doom.  The  men  of  Nineveh  would  stand  forth  against 
them  in  the  judgment  because  they  had  hearkened  to  the 
preaching  of  Jonah,  and,  behold,  a  greater  than  Jonah  was 
here. 

The  Ninevites,  then,  were  not  dead.  Their  city  was 
buried  long  ago.  The  Lord  said  (700  B.  C.)  by  the  lips 
of  his  prophet  Nahum,  "  I  will  make  thy  grave."  The 
great  metropolis,  proud,  luxurious,  fell  at  last  under  the 
burden  of  its  sins,  and  was  buried  like  a  worn-out  volup- 
tuary. Its  splendid  halls  became  the  haunt  of  owls  and 
jackals.  Naught  remains  of  it  at  this  day  but  a  mass  ol 
magnificent  ruins  to  attest  its  former  glory. 

And  their  gods  also  were  dead.  Time  was  when 
kings  bowed  down  before  them,  when  conquerers  brought 
garlands  and  hung  about  their  necks,  when  men  and 
women  poured  out  the  story  of  their  agony  before  them  ; 
but  now  the  winged  bulls  of  old  Nineveh  may  be  seen  in 


THE   NINEVITES   IN   JUDGMENT.  299 

the  British  Museum,  in  the  midst  of  g^reat  London — bulls 
with  human  faces  bearing  a  mystified  look,  as  if  bewil- 
dered with  the  roar  and  hurry  of  modern  Hfe.  Dead  now, 
and  none  so  poor  to  do  them  reverence.  But  the  men  of 
Nineveh  still  live  on  in  the  influence  of  their  mighty  deeds. 
The  oldest  burying-ground  in  the  world  is  where  they  lie 
in  stone-lined  chambers  by  the  side  of  the  great  river. 
They  were  buried  with  their  hands  stretched  out  towards 
dishes  of  food  and  weapons  and  implements  of  toil,  as  il 
to  speak  of  a  life  beyond.  They  were  buried  with  their 
faces  towards  the  west,  towards  the  sunset ;  but  the  set- 
ting of  the  sun  prophesies  the  rising  thereof.  There  is  no 
night  without  a  morning;  the  shadows  gather,  there  is 
silence  under  the  stars,  then  the  night  breaks. 

In  1842  the  antiquarian  Botta,  while  digging  among 
the  ruins  of  this  old  metropolis,  came  upon  a  massive 
structure  which  he  rightly  supposed  to  be  the  palace  of 
Sennacherib.  The  top  of  the  wall  was  lined  with  sculp- 
tured slabs  written  all  over  in  cuneiform  characters.  Here 
also  were  prisms  and  tablets  and  cylinders  and  volumes 
of  the  past,  books  of  science,  grammars,  and  dictionaries. 
Here  were  royal  decrees  and  deeds  of  sale.  Here  was  the 
last  will  and  testament  of  King  Sennacherib.  Here  the 
mighty  thoughts  of  the  past  were  stereotyped.  This  was 
the  royal  library.  The  clay  that  was  packed  upon  these 
volumes  had  so  sealed  them  from  the  atmosphere  that  on 
being  exhumed  they  were  as  fresh  as  if  written  yesterday. 
As  we  stand  among  these  venerable  records  it  is  as  if  the 
dead  were  living  before  us — Sargon,  Rabshakeh,  Assur- 
banipal,  Tiglath-pileser ;  here  they  are  lifting  their  cups 
in  wassail  or  flashing  their  swords  before  us. 

But  the  Ninevites  live  not  merely  in  influence,  but  in 
an  actual  existence  somewhere  in  the  spirit  world.     This 


500  THE   RELIGION   OF  THE   FUTURE. 

is  not  the  time  to  dwell  upon  the  argument  for  immortal- 
ity ;  it  is  enough  that  the  men  of  Nineveh,  in  common 
with  all  nations,  received  it.  Here  is  a  universal  tenet : 
there  is  no  death ;  the  king  of  terrors  has  no  power  over 
an  immortal  man.  He  may  destroy  the  house  we  live  in  ; 
he  can  break  its  bones  and  burn  its  flesh  and  scatter  its 
ashes  ;  but,  after  all,  he  can  do  no  more  than  drive  its  ten- 
ant out.  What  we  call  death  is  mere  eviction.  While 
death  destroys  the  dwelling  its  tenant  stands  yonder  upon 
some  hillside  looking  on. 

And  the  men  of  Nineveh  are  to  appear  again ;  they 
shall  stand  forth  in  judgment — in  judgment !  A  stupend- 
ous fact.     We  shall  behold  them  in  that  day. 

1.  The  judgment  is  coming.  The  Scriptures  abound 
in  references  to  "  that  great  day."  I  can  remember  the 
call  of  the  court  crier  from  the  steps  of  the  old  Court 
House,  "  Oyez  !  oyez !"  in  the  frontier  village  long  ago, 
and  they  could  be  seen  coming  from  tavern  and  along  the 
streets,  jurors,  litigants,  lawyers,  and  hangers-on,  all  to 
attend  the  court.  So  shall  the  trumpet  sound  and  the 
dead  shall  arise  ;  from  the  sea,  from  the  land,  they  shall 
come  to  the  great  assize.  All  will  be  there :  souls  slain 
in  battle,  the  slaughtered  innocents,  popes  and  victims  of 
the  Inquisition,  the  poor  wretch  who  was  dragged  out  of 
the  river  yesterday,  the  millionaire  who  died  with  his 
hand  clutching  his  wealth  wrung  from  widows  and  or- 
phans, formal  professors,  the  cultured  infidels  of  Christen- 
dom, the  multitudes  who  died  in  the  darkness  of  barbar- 
ism, the  men  of  Nineveh  and  the  men  of  New  York,  all 
will  be  there.     Oh,  the  sea  of  faces  ! 

2.  The  judgment  is  a  necessary  factor  in  the  moral 
economy  of  the  universe.  There  is  but  a  faint  show  of  jus- 
tice in  the  present  administration  of  affairs — all  things 


THE   NINEVITES   IN  JUDGMENT.  30I 

awry,  at  odds  and  ends.  The  poor  are  cast  down  and  the 
wicked  exalted.  Rewards  go  where  penalties  should  fall, 
and  vice  versa.  Can  we  suppose  this  to  be  the  end? 
Everywhere  else  in  the  universe,  save  in  the  moral  prov- 
ince, there  is  a  perfect  equilibrium  ;  the  sun  draws  no 
more  water  from  the  sea  than  the  lakes  can  receive  and 
the  rivers  carry  back  again  to  the  sea.  If  the  pressure  of 
the  atmosphere  were  a  trifle  more  or  less  the  earth  would 
fall  into  fragments.  A  little  less  heat  and  the  earth  would 
be  frozen ;  a  little  more  and  it  would  be  burned  up.  A 
little  more  electricity  in  the  air  and  our  system  would  be 
a  magazine  of  destructive  forces.  But  everything  in  the 
physical  world  is  just  right.  Must  we  not  believe  that 
there  is  to  be  a  final  adjustment  in  the  province  of  moral 
things  ?  Ay ;  the  heavens  shall  be  rolled  back  and  yon- 
der will  sit  the  Judge  upon  his  throne.  In  his  hand  a 
great  book,  and  the  book  shall  be  opened.  The  ledger ! 
Then  will  come  the  evening-up,  to  every  one  his  due. 

3.  The  judgment  will  be  administered  in  absolute  equi- 
ty. Here  we  misunderstand  each  other ;  we  judge  by  the 
sight  of  our  eyes. 

"Who made  the  heart,  'tis  He  alone 
Decidedly  can  try  us  ; 
He  knows  each  chord — its  various  tone, 
Each  spring- — its  various  bias." 

All  things  will  enter  into  consideration:  our  nature, 
temperament,  our  heredity,  environment,  training,  tempta- 
tion ;  nothing  will  be  forgotten  then.  And  as  no  false 
sentence  will  be  possible,  so  there  can  be  no  complaint  or 
plea  for  a  new  trial.  Those  to  whom  the  Judge  shall  say, 
"  Depart !"  will  unite  with  those  to  whom  he  says,  "  Come, 
ye  blessed !"  in  ascribing  to  him  an  absolute  fairness. 
"  The  judgments  of  the   Lord   are  true  and  righteous 


302  THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 

altogether."  Then  we  shall  understand  the  strange  prov- 
idences that  so  puzzle  us  now.  We  shall  see  the  divine 
goodness  above  all.     As  Whittier  sings, 

"  God's  ways  seem  dark,  but  soon  or  late 
They  touch  the  shining  hills  of  day." 

4.  One  important  factor  in  the  ultimate  decisions  of 
the  great  day  will  be  ^ke  measure  of  our  light.  We  are 
moved  to  ask,  "  What  is  to  become  of  the  heathen  ? 
Are  they  to  be  cast  into  hell  for  not  accepting  the  gospel 
which  they  never  heard?"  Oh,  no.  They  shall  be  re- 
sponsible only  for  their  measure  of  Hght  and  shall  be  pun- 
ished only  for  not  living  up  to  it ;  as  it  is  written,  "  To 
whom  much  is  given,  of  them  shall  much  be  required." 

I  see  a  group  of  rabbis  drawing  near  wearing  their 
broad  phylacteries  and  frondets  on  which  is  written, 
"  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord !"  and 
saying  to  the  Judge,  "What  hast  thou  for  us?"  And 
while  they  wait  the  penitent  thief  draws  near,  saying,  "  I 
saw  the  Redeemer  but  once  and  my  heart  was  smitten.  I 
repented  and  beheved  in  him."  And  to  this  man  the 
Judge  shall  say,  "  Enter  into  the  kingdom  of  thy  Lord." 

I  see  a  procession  of  vestal  virgins  drawing  near,  who 
say,  "We  kept  the  sacred  fires  alive  ;  we  illuminated  mis- 
sals and  breviaries;  we  sang  the  matins  and  vespers. 
What  hast  thou  for  us  ?"  And  yonder  the  Magdalene 
draws  near  with  downcast  face,  saying,  "  I  heard  thee  as 
thou  wast  preaching  in  the  streets,  saying,  *  Come  unto 
me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest ;'  and  with  my  burden  of  sin  and  shame  upon 
me  I  came  and  anointed  thy  feet."  And  at  her  word  the 
room  seems  filled  with  the  odor  of  the  precious  nard  and 
the  Judge  says,  "  Enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

An  army  of  Crusaders  draws  near.    They  bear  the  scars 


THE   NINEVITES   IN   JUDGMENT.  303 

of  service ;  they  say,  "  We  fought  for  the  rescue  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  and  made  battle  beneath  the  walls  of 
Acre.  What  hast  thou  for  us  ?"  A  little  lad  draws  near, 
modestly  saying,  "  I  had  the  basket  of  loaves  and  fishes, 
and  when  thy  disciples  said,  '  Give  it  for  the  hunger  of 
the  multitude,'  I  freely  gave  it."  And  the  Judge  bids 
him  also  "  Enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

Here  are  a  multitude  of  nominal  Christians,  their 
names  on  the  church-roll  as  members  in  good  and  regu- 
lar standing,  and  they  say,  "  Lord,  we  lived  in  the  shadow 
of  the  sanctuary,  sat  at  the  sacramental  table,  said  our 
prayers  and  paid  our  tithes  with  strict  regularity.  What 
hast  thou  for  us  ?"  And,  lo,  here  come  the  men  of  Nine- 
veh :  "  We  heard  thy  prophet  once;  we  heard  his  warn- 
ing of  approaching  danger;  we  believed  that  to  the  peni- 
tent thou  wouldst  be  merciful ;  we  bowed  ourselves  in 
sorrow  before  thee  and  besought  thy  pardon."  And  to 
these  the  Judge  says,  "  Enter  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

Oh,  the  surprises  of  that  day !  There  will  be  many 
passing  through  heaven's  gate  who  are  lit  along  the  way 
by  a  single  rushlight,  and  there  will  be  many  who,  despite 
an  unspeakable  wealth  of  privilege,  shall  be  shut  out  for 
ever.  Do  we  ask,  "  What  is  to  become  of  the  heathen  ?" 
A  far  more  pertinent  question  is  this :  "  What  is  to  be- 
come of  you  and  me?"  It  is  greatly  to  be  feared  that 
Zulus,  Bechuanas  and  Hottentots  will  point  their  fingers  at 
some  of  us  in  that  day.  We  were  ushered  into  the  world 
with  prayer.  We  were  soothed  to  sleep  with  sacred 
melodies.  We  were  taught  to  say,  **  Our  Father  which 
art  in  heaven ;"  to  read  our  Bibles ;  to  revere  our  con- 
fessions of  faith.  The  sound  of  the  church  bell  has 
ever  been  in  our  ears.  We  have  lived  under  the 
shadow  of  the  cross,  yet  some  of  us  have  never  accepted 


304 


THE   RELIGION   OF   THE   FUTURE. 


Christ,  preferring  to  bear  the  burden  of  our  own  sin. 
Oh !  what  is  to  become  of  us  ? 

And  now  one  more  privilege  :  this  sermon  has  in  it 
the  possibiUty  of  eternal  good  or  evil.  The  sunbeam 
that  falls  with  nourishing  power  upon  a  hving  bud,  to 
bring  forth  beauty  and  fragrance  from  it,  brings  doom  to 
a  stem  detached  from  the  tree.  So  is  it  with  every  dis- 
course. It  has  a  savor  of  life  unto  life,  or  death  unto 
death.  I  Hft  up  Christ  again  to-day,  saying  to  you,  a  sin- 
ner, "  He  died  for  you,  and  he  that  believeth  in  Christ 
hath  everlasting  life."  In  this  brief  message  is  the  possi- 
bility of  eternal  felicity.     I  pray  you  hear  it. 


DATE  DUE 

«. 

HIQHSMITH       #  -45220 

